Stand or be confined to the locker room

That's a completely specious analogy. Kneeling has never been widely considered to be disrespectful, in any context, until an Uppity Negro decided to use it in a way that made Whitey McSportsfan uncomfortable.

The old sword chugger, himself!

Race-bait all you want, it's never been acceptable to remain seated--especially to make a point of remaining seated--during the national anthem. Kneeling is no different.

If the act of kneeling during the anthem is not hugely symbolic, then why protest that way? Half your side says it's not any kind of insult, the other half says it's intended to make others uncomfortable. Which is it?

That's what I don't get. Staying seated or turning their back...sure...that's disrespect. But kneeling? I would think staying in the locker room would be more disrespectful than kneeling. What about standing with locked arms or a raised fist? Is there a hard list of what is considered disrespectful?

Seen on twitter: Will concession sales be halted during the anthem as well?

Blacks kill far more blacks than law enforcement ever will. Haven't you got any Goddamn feelings about that?

Why do you suck my balls until they're dry, but blow my dick until it's wet?

By and large, standing silently and not trying to draw attention to yourself is what's appropriate.

Also, the NFL has likely queued up a nice lawsuit or strike. The players' union has already complained that they were not consulted on this unilateral change and it may violate the collective bargaining agreement.

Possibly in San Francisco (whose owner abstained from the rule vote).

It's well documented that Kaepernick was told by a veteran that taking a knee was more respectful than sitting.

By the fucking military, no less.

Neither is acceptable to many people.

I'm a little rusty, but I thought you were supposed to cover your heart and/or salute while maybe singing along. Other than that, it would seem like not being there would draw a fair amount of attention.

Anything the Endangered Angry White Guy* decides is disrespectful.

*See @Tuttle and @TheLonelySquire and, I suppose when he comes back from his "vacation," @Dinner will add another group to his list.

This is the land of the free, goddammit! You have to do what I say or else you're shitting on my beliefs that this is the land of the free!

To quote my friend again, "I don't get bent out of shape when a fellow American citizen actually exercises one of our rights and freedoms. Denying those freedoms is what is truly disrespectful to our country."

That said, I acknowledge the NFL's (or any other businesses') rights to establish and enforce policies they think are good for their bottom line and public image. At game time, the players are "on the clock", so to speak.

Except when it violates a collective bargaining agreement to which the NFL owners contracted, which seems to be the case here.

A person choosing not to be present as a specific protest is not something many will find admirable, but it's a lot less in-your-face or distracting.

I get where you're coming from, but to me something like allegiance to country falls outside of "on the clock" duties.

If only they'd protest where you couldn't see them or think about them. I think that would suit everyone, amirite folks?

So it's about being a distraction? I thought it was about disrespect.

The former is an aspect of the latter.

Okay. I didn't realize it was being a distraction that was disrespectful.

Shoes, are we really going to have to do this?

That's one type of disrespect. You can be disrespectful in many ways.

I'm not saying it's the only thing that could be disrespectful. I honestly didn't realize that that was the case with the NFL players particularly. I figured the complaint was more "How dare he disrespect the flag!" than "how dare he be a distraction while disrespecting the flag!"

Well, it's both, because in this case you can't really do one without the other. The disrespect for the country is expressed through taking an action that is conspicuously counter to what is expected and considered appropriate. It is a violation of a social and cultural norm.

I myself don't care what players think or what opinions they express off the field. But if they use their jobs and their associated public venues as a means to express that opinion, then I object. Protest on your own time. If you can't bear to stand and remain silent during the anthem, then stay in the locker room.

Hey, remember when the libertarians used to say "respect is earned, not demanded"?

Remember that?

I 'member.

I thought you were an atheist.
What the Hell are you doing being on the side of cult like mojo rituals?

I am. Swear to God.

I don't like the intrusion of politics into every cultural institution. It's absolutely poisonous. It's even worse than religion, since a lot of people aren't religious, but everyone seems to have a political stance. This kneeling during the anthem wasn't even a thing three years ago, and now we're all yelling at each other and calling each other vile names over it. It's done nothing for the purpose it was intended, it's just generated a lot of division.