Viral Petition on StandUnited.org Seeks NFL Anthem Rule
RESTON, Va., Oct. 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- A petition on StandUnited.org with 18,000 signatures asks the NFL for a simple rule change: Require all players stand for the national anthem.
That rule change might happen very soon. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced that he will discuss the matter with team owners and league officials at the league meeting on Tuesday, October 17th.
The petition letter states, "Players have figured out a quick and easy way to get attention from a sympathetic media, and it's taking a moment of American pride and turning it into a personal spectacle."
People from across the country have signed on, with many of them adding comments to their signature. One such comment reads, "We, the fans and taxpayers, pay their salaries and do not need to be subjected to their opinions and views on our dime. Let them protest on their own time. No one who lives here should disrespect our flag or country in this manner." Many of the petition signers are veterans or family members of veterans.
NFL players were not on the field during the anthem until 2009, when the Department of Defense began a $5.4 million promotional effort with the NFL. The Pentagon paid for "patriotic displays" to aid its military recruiting efforts. If and when the NFL makes this rule for its employees, the league will end over a year of anthem protests, started by Colin Kaepernick in 2016.
StandUnited.org is an online petition platform that anyone can use. Petitioners have run successful campaigns to save a veteran's memorial, include conservatives in a history museum, and drop Kathy Griffin from CNN's New Year's Eve broadcast.
SOURCE StandUnited.org
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