Not impressed with the hands up BS displayed by the Rams WRs

[iced]

Then let them do it outside the stadium...

not about to trump someone's rights to free speech - don't have to agree with them, but doesn't mean we can police what they say either.

 

[Philly5]

The NFL does not let players celebrate touchdowns or wear different color socks. If there was no discipline for this incident, I hope there will not be anything for the next guy. I seem to remember players getting fined for headband messages, etc..

Dumb move by the players no matter which side you are on. Just further divides (as we see). Given the Rams stadium situation it was not a good idea. Given the team requests for security help it was not a good idea. Given that half the crowd disagreed it was not a good idea. Not exactly a lot of brain power with that group.

 

[Boffo97]

It was not the time nor place and FWIW the buzz I got from winning that game yesterday was terribly short lived because this happened , as fans of the Rams we should be united today about what a wondrous thing that game was , instead LOOK AT US .

Add me to the list of people pissed off by this.

I will likely never again see that thorough of a job of domination by my favorite team... and it seems somehow secondary this week. It's certainly secondary to the mainstream media.

 

[blackbart]

Only if it is sanctioned then from the NFL is it the right time and place then - if it is sanctioned it's okay, like when the NFL honors the death of an owner having his initials on the back of a helmet etc... or breast cancer awareness, all that is okay

but since this was unsanctioned act by our receiving corps it somehow puts the team on tenuous ground and is stupid act? Not sure i agree. This was actually the best time and place for the Rams players to express themselves. Where else? In a sports bar? at the Nordstroms? not getting how a national stage isn't the best forum for your political expression - in fact I'd argue it is the smartest place (not the stupidest)

How about they get together on their own time and have a news conference to express their opinions. I'm pretty sure they could get enough attention to draw enough reporters to make the national news.

 

[Boffo97]

not about to trump someone's rights to free speech - don't have to agree with them, but doesn't mean we can police what they say either.

As discussed earlier, "free speech" isn't relevant to this argument because we're not talking about the government.

The NFL or the Rams, had they chosen to do so, would have every right to fine the involved players.

 

[Thordaddy]

My Question is this... will the NFL fine the Rams WR's? Just think what a crap storm that will create? This is a PR nightmare for Goodhell... as he loses fan support if he doesn't fine the players and also loses fan support if he does fine them. Goodhell's hatred for the Rams organization just went up 10-fold.

It's gonna cause a shit storm either way between the people who trust that a legal proceeding was held transcribed and found there to be insufficient evidence that the gesture those players mimicked was how things went down , and those who don't trust it and intend to continue to continue based on projection

 

[iced]

As discussed earlier, "free speech" isn't relevant to this argument because we're not talking about the government.

The NFL or the Rams, had they chosen to do so, would have every right to fine the involved players.

at the same time it can also be important because they are showing they support community

 

[Thordaddy]

That's a fallacy that we're taught to believe.

Well the rest of the world must have been taught to believe it too because people are breaking OUR LAWS in hordes to get here, not to mention those who are leaving their families behind to come here legally.
The American Dream is still alive, but if all you do is dream and don't strive it won't come true it always carried an IF that won't change

 

[Thordaddy]

at the same time it can also be important because they are showing they support community

Which community, the one the one being burned down based on something that has been adjudicated to be untrue ?

 

[blackbart]

“It’s dangerous out there. None of us want to get caught up in that. We wanted to come out and show our respect to the protesters that have been doing a heck of a job,” Cook said.

Cook said he didn’t consider his teammates’ actions a distraction, and wide receiver Kenny Britt took issue with the notion that Rams players were choosing sides in a heated community issue.

“We are here making sure something positive comes out of it,” Britt said. “I’m not here for the police. I’m here for a great cause that could come out of this if people come together.”

So Cook wasn't able to go, or choose not to go. Step up big man if you want to get out there the only thing stopping you is you. And what is the "heck of a job" these protesters are doing? Controlling themselves, burning down the community, dividing the masses?

To Britt, yeah it is obvious you are not there for the police. They get it and so do a lot of other people. FYI yes your kids count just like everyone else. Make sure you teach them not to act like the guy on your other wrist.

 

[Warner4Prez]

The thing is though that we'd need to look at what happened in those cases and get both sides of the story. If officers acted inappropriately, by all means punish them.

THIS case, everything is pointing to Brown bringing his own death upon himself and Officer Wilson acting entirely appropriately, yet still having his life ruined.

I understand that and I agree with what your saying.
Problem is for me as a white man a thousand miles removed from St. Louis, I can't put myself into the mind frame of the people feeling it and going through it. It's easy for us to sit here at keyboards at work or the comforts of home and break down rational responses and react to what we see, but honestly I just don't think any of us can safely say if roles were reversed we'd be able to keep our composure.

If police gunned down someone I graduated high school with and there were the slightest shred of uncertainty surrounding the circumstance, I can safely say I'd march down the street in protest. I consider myself a reasonable guy and I know I wouldn't take to the looting and hysterics of some parties involved, but if I had the opportunity to make my voice heard I would.

It's easy for some of us to judge, and I do sympathize for those of you in STL having to deal with the resulting reality of it. But I don't know how many members of this board can say they can truly relate to what the citizens of Ferguson are experiencing.

 

[Robocop]

im so pissed off looking through rams news and this is all that pops up all over the media. makes me very conflicted when i love a team and players like this and they go and do something thats not for the good of the team, the community and makes them look childish and uninformed. they said it was to 'support' their community but NO it didn't. they simply supported the protesters who single handedly destroyed and dismantled their own community by burning and destroying local businesses. I'll give them a mulligan for this because of the big win but imagine if the game was flipped? if we had gotten blown out AND gotten this bullshit media attention for some immature pregame crap. i would be furious. this better not happen again. i dont give a shit about the players personal views, political views or religion or anything else. walk on that football field and play football. its a football field not a podium. keep the rest of that shit at home for yourself.

 

[blackbart]

That's a fallacy that we're taught to believe.

Really so Dr Ben Carson really did not work his way out of a bad situation in spite of the color of his skin to become a great surgeon?

All of the players involved in this incident are no paid better than most Americans to play a game?

 

[HX76]

I wouldn't say I'm pissed off about this as I really don't know a lot of the facts in who was right or wrong here. I respect the players have their opinions and so they should but I think they could have shown a bit more restraint and kept those opinions to themselves on this occasion especially as Missouri is obviously the hot bed of the problems as this is where the incident occurred.

 

[Dieter the Brock]

@blackbart

My comments were only in regards to if it was stupid for the WR corps to do their demonstration before the game / I was saying it was a smart move to make this protest for the reasons already stated -- so the idea of whether the players in question could have held a presser or written books or blogged about their feelings in regards to Ferguson and whether or not those moves are stupid or smart is another discussion and a hypothetical one at that

Only talking about the strategy of making their protest when they did

 

[Faceplant]

If the players wanted to make a statement, why not come out holding hands in a show of unity?? IMO, this was a misguided slap in the face of the same law enforcement community that these millionaires undoubtedly expect to protect THEIR safety and interests. I guess my question to them would be, what was the desired effect they wished to achieve with this? Does it seem like this has united anybody on this issue?

 

[Philly5]

Been an adventure wearing Rams gear this year. First Michael Sam and now this. Looking forward to people calling me a bandwagon fan once we start winning.

 

[Dieter the Brock]

Been an adventure wearing Rams gear this year. First Michael Sam and now this. Looking forward to people calling me a bandwagon fan once we start winning.

It's safe to say the Rams as an organization are not shying away from controversy this year

 

[bluecoconuts]

Really so Dr Ben Carson really did not work his way out of a bad situation in spite of the color of his skin to become a great surgeon?

All of the players involved in this incident are no paid better than most Americans to play a game?

The traditional "American dream" is more complicated than just "if you work hard, you will succeed" that people tend to say it is. There are tons of very smart very hard working people who never "make it", far more than those who do. Which is why we make such a big deal of those who do make it from poor to rich, move up in a way. Far more often people end up moving down. A lot of success comes from being born with certain things being available for you, education, funds to get things off the ground, etc. The vast majority of people do not have these available to them for them to really move up, which is why most people maintain a livable salary and not much more. Plenty of people who do have those available try and fail, which moves them down, often for good.

In terms of quality of life, those of us born in the western world have pretty much already hit the jackpot. There's a lot more than just working hard to going from rags to riches, even athletes are often groomed from a young age that allows them to get to the top of their craft. There's a lot of luck that goes into it, which is why in a lot of ways it's a farce. It is sold to us so we have more incentive to work hard, Americans are more focused on the future compared to a lot of other nations. A lot of things that Americans do, they do so because tomorrow it might pay off, and it works for the country because we work much harder for the same or less that other nations work for. That's why many international companies like to hire Americans, they'll do more work for the same pay, because its bred into us.

Its not a bad thing, necessarily though.

 

[iced]

Which community, the one the one being burned down based on something that has been adjudicated to be untrue ?

I do believe they said they were neutral?

One thing that I find particularly funny about this situation is that people make pure assumptions about "their message" without knowing their intent, or bothering to hear their intent after the game.

Almost feels like there's a ton of Florio's running around