How about those Steelers?

[pete311]

I'm sure there is a lot of pressure being part of a high testosterone team sport, but I was fine with him standing alone and think he didn't need to apologize, but his initial comments right after were enough to work both sides.

[jimnyc]

I'm sure there is a lot of pressure being part of a high testosterone team sport, but I was fine with him standing alone and think he didn't need to apologize, but his initial comments right after were enough to work both sides.

That's not the biggest issue here, but yeah, it sucks that players feel like they need to "pick sides" or do anything, other than what they would normally have done while the anthem was played.

[gabosaurus]

For the first time in 49 years, I was embarrassed to be their biggest fan in history.

You are perhaps the biggest Steelers fan in New Rochelle. Maybe. Any further claim would be extremely dubious.

I doubt Villanueva received pressure of any kind from anyone. In fact, I think he holds one of the biggest positions of strength of any current athlete in professional sports.
Villanueva is a decorated military veteran who plays for one of the most well known teams in the NFL. If he wanted to go out and salute the flag, he would be backed. If he had stayed in the locker room or taken a knee, he would be similarly backed. Opposing him from any angle would be social and political suicide.
If anyone is entitled to speak his mind freely on any subject, it is Alejandro Villanueva. He fought for the right of everyone to exercise their freedom of thought, speech and actions.
If Villanueva had come out on his own, I doubt he would have suffered any repercussions. Blackballing marginal talents like Kaepernick and Tebow is not the same as doing so with a talented military veteran.

[Abbey Marie]

So, anecdotally, a member of my NFL fantasy league just left our league. In his words, he "could not in good conscience continue".
Oh and btw, this a thoughtful intelligent and moral man.

[jimnyc]

You are perhaps the biggest Steelers fan in New Rochelle. Maybe. Any further claim would be extremely dubious.

I doubt Villanueva received pressure of any kind from anyone. In fact, I think he holds one of the biggest positions of strength of any current athlete in professional sports.
Villanueva is a decorated military veteran who plays for one of the most well known teams in the NFL. If he wanted to go out and salute the flag, he would be backed. If he had stayed in the locker room or taken a knee, he would be similarly backed. Opposing him from any angle would be social and political suicide.
If anyone is entitled to speak his mind freely on any subject, it is Alejandro Villanueva. He fought for the right of everyone to exercise their freedom of thought, speech and actions.
If Villanueva had come out on his own, I doubt he would have suffered any repercussions. Blackballing marginal talents like Kaepernick and Tebow is not the same as doing so with a talented military veteran.

I could debate anyone on the issue of being the biggest fan, and win every time. I'm like a walking almanac for the Steelers history and own pretty much at least one of everything. Then the tattoo, but tons have those admittedly. I wish I could have been to more games than just one, that's my biggest downfall on that subject.

Villanueva DID receive pressure. Right off the bat, the team got together to decide what they wanted to do, and if no 100% decision, then the tunnel was the decision. Him, as one person, wasn't going to change that. Then after the fact, whiule not condemning, both Tomlin and Harrison referred to him in a manner of disappointment for them not having 100% participation in not coming out for the flag/anthem. That truly disappointed me.

He received calls on this issue from fellow vets, some wounded warriors. And his conscience made the final decision. I wish one by one the team would have come out and supported HIM, as opposed to some sort of politics statement.

I don't know how much Tebow was blackballed. I thought he was a tremendous talent. He could have been used as a running QB, a gadget player, a great TE.... that aside, he often got mocked for his kneeling.

[gabosaurus]

So Jim, where are you going to be on Christmas Day? Most likely at home with your family I would guess. My good friend the Steelers fan will also spend Christmas Day with her family. In Houston, at the Steelers vs. Texans game. Because if your parents live in the D-FW Metroplex, and the Steelers are playing a mere 250 miles away, you go to the game. IF you are a great Steelers fans who was born and raised in the Pittsburgh area, attended Steelers games before you were born, been to THREE Super Bowls, owns an original Terrible Towel and diligently wakes on early on Sunday morning and journeys to a local sports bar, because Steelers games start at 10 a.m. here and aren't on local TV. Because it takes more than stats, tats and bragging to be a REAL diehard Steelers fan. Otherwise, I have seen no evidence that Villanueva was pressured by anyone. I believe he is strong enough to speak his own mind.

[jimnyc]

So Jim, where are you going to be on Christmas Day? Most likely at home with your family I would guess. My good friend the Steelers fan will also spend Christmas Day with her family. In Houston, at the Steelers vs. Texans game. Because if your parents live in the D-FW Metroplex, and the Steelers are playing a mere 250 miles away, you go to the game. IF you are a great Steelers fans who was born and raised in the Pittsburgh area, attended Steelers games before you were born, been to THREE Super Bowls, owns an original Terrible Towel and diligently wakes on early on Sunday morning and journeys to a local sports bar, because Steelers games start at 10 a.m. here and aren't on local TV. Because it takes more than stats, tats and bragging to be a REAL diehard Steelers fan. Otherwise, I have seen no evidence that Villanueva was pressured by anyone. I believe he is strong enough to speak his own mind.

If I had the $$, I would be there on Christmas day, and would be a season ticket holder. I simply can't afford that is all. It's certainly not about lack of desire, or whether I would go the extra mile to give up normalcy to be with my Steelers instead!

And own a terrible towel? That's cute, I own about every edition ever made, even just got 2 more while out there. Never been to a Bowl with them in it, I may have given up an appendage to make that happen!! LOL

I vacationed in Lancaster about 2 weeks every year, but my Dad barely wanted to give me quarters for the video games at the campground, he surely wasn't entertaining my desire to live and breath the black and yellow!

Time of games don't matter to me, I get all 16 games televised at home, but credit is given for her effort! I would be more than happy to join her if that was my only option! Kudos to her.

I only brag about my team, rarely about how big a fan. But YES, knowing the team, every player, every game, their entire history, the Rooney family and all their history, 1933... Terry to Terry, but only one signed my Bettis Jersey. OF COURSE those things count, just as it counts that she goes nutso to see the games so early!! That's us FANS! Her and I would have a fun 3 hours chatting during a game!

Villanueva SAID he was contacted by wounded warriors and other fellow veterans. He said the moment got to him when they announced "soldier" field, and the anthem He simply walked out 20 feet and stood with his hand over his heart.

Then he was MORE honorable in tossing himself under the bus, by stating he felt like he tossed the team under the bus. He apologized to everyone.

I couldn't decide who my favorite player is: Big Ben, the best WR in Antonio Brown, Le'veon, Martavis, Harrison, TJ Watt....

Now it's a no brainer - Alejandro Villanueva

[Gunny]

I'll tell you one thing pissing me off about this whole deal is the media manipulation. Look at the lone, Army vet Pittsburgh Steeler out for the National Anthem. Conversely, EVERY DAMNED PIC since probably before the game was over of the Dallas Cowboys in the media is them kneeling, not standing for the Anthem.

That is such bullshit manipulation and as subtle as a battleship. Yet, the dummies out there are buying off on it.

BOTH teams were stupid as Hell to try and interject themselves into and "fix" the situation.

[gabosaurus]

I don't often agree with Gunny, but he is 100 percent dead on here. It's media overload of the highest order. And everyone seems to want their share of the spotlight.

I don't want it look like I am doubting Jim's Steelers fan credentials. Obviously he has taken it to another level and should be commended.
At the same time, it is difficult to compare becoming a fan and being born into it. If you grow up in the Pittsburgh area and members of your family have held season tickets since the dawn of the team's existence, you really don't have much of a choice.
If you have a family and all the resulting demands and expenses that going along with it, you obviously have different priorities than someone who is younger and doesn't have kids.

[Gunny]

I don't often agree with Gunny, but he is 100 percent dead on here. It's media overload of the highest order. And everyone seems to want their share of the spotlight.

I don't want it look like I am doubting Jim's Steelers fan credentials. Obviously he has taken it to another level and should be commended.
At the same time, it is difficult to compare becoming a fan and being born into it. If you grow up in the Pittsburgh area and members of your family have held season tickets since the dawn of the team's existence, you really don't have much of a choice.
If you have a family and all the resulting demands and expenses that going along with it, you obviously have different priorities than someone who is younger and doesn't have kids.

Situations change, and sometimes tough decisions have to be made and are not always within parameters of one's choosing.

I have always been a Steelers fan. Since the first NFL game I watched them lose. I have also always been a Cowboys fan since the first time I heard of them. The NFL wasn't exactly widespread news in the late 60s. Was also a different world. We PLAYED sports. Watching them was a "when convenient" thing.

Be that as it may, you got "OVERLOAD" right. On top of the the two reasons above, toss in the military/patriotism angle. I knew the words to the National Anthem and to stand still and shut up before I knew what a football or baseball was. I have ZERO appreciation for die hard sports fanatics as a voyeur. The sports I love to play, I'll hobble out today and still PLAY given a chance. However, this the perfect storm of crossing over topics.

We've got die hard fans, patriotism/vets, politics since Trump had to twit his 2 cents in, and manipulating the whole lot is the media and a bunch of losers out to stir up sh*t just to be doing it. Unfortunately, some lines have been drawn, and as I stated earlier, not necessarily by the participants. They're just stuck. So Plan B is is to step back and assess the situation.

I can live without football/pro sports.

I can live without the MSM. They don't report news. They aren't happy unless everyone is unhappy.

I can live without BLM, AntiFa and all the other little idiot groups that make a living off of hate.

We CANNOT live without the Anthem and the Flag and what they represent. Without the US Constitution, NONE of the rest exists. The freedoms in the Constitution allow any and all of it. Without the Constitution, they are nothing. The idiots behind all this crap could care less about the Constitution and anyone's Rights.

Once those Rights are gone and only those in power have some or any of them left, the very people pulling all this shit will be left out in the cold and crying. Who will lose the most besides the American people? The MSM. The ones that started this sh*t and have stoke the flames. What is one of the first things to go with fascism? Freedom of speech and freedom of the press.

[jimnyc]

I don't often agree with Gunny, but he is 100 percent dead on here. It's media overload of the highest order. And everyone seems to want their share of the spotlight.

I don't want it look like I am doubting Jim's Steelers fan credentials. Obviously he has taken it to another level and should be commended.
At the same time, it is difficult to compare becoming a fan and being born into it. If you grow up in the Pittsburgh area and members of your family have held season tickets since the dawn of the team's existence, you really don't have much of a choice.
If you have a family and all the resulting demands and expenses that going along with it, you obviously have different priorities than someone who is younger and doesn't have kids.

I could only wish I grew up there. Then again, the mystique may have been lost. It's why I don't like local teams here in NY, the news never ends, I get sick of hearing about them.

[jimnyc]

Still have bad feelings...

Villanueva, no words need be said. The team - their objective was apparently to take politics out of it and not allow the media or anyone to separate them as a team and their goal on the field. Sounds great! Until the flag is raised and the anthem is played, and then it seemed all so different. Even with them standing, only in the tunnel, while the sole player stood at attention.

They done knew they fucked up. Even Dan Rooney sent out emails to all of us at "Steeler Nation" trying to calm things down.

And now, before anyone ever took a single knee, if that makes me feel any better...

--

These NFL Teams Are Having All Their Players Stand For The Anthem In Week 4

At least five NFL teams will have all of their players standing for the national anthem during the games on Sunday.

The Pittsburgh Steelers, the Dallas Cowboys, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Denver Broncos will join the New Orleans Saints, who stood this morning for the anthem, according to ESPN’s Darren Rovell.



Rest - http://dailycaller.com/2017/10/01/th...hem-in-week-4/

[Black Diamond]

No way Seattle will be able to make it through tonight on the big stage without pulling a stunt.

[gabosaurus]

"Stunt" being the operative word. Team unity begins to crumble when individuals start separating themselves from the team. That is why I don't watch basketball. It's because a sport when individuals are more important than the team they represent.

[gabosaurus]

I hope Jim had a chance to watch the Steelers game today. Looks like they came through with a big win.
My Steelers obsessed friend encountered difficulty at the place where she normally watches the games. A good ole boy type objected to the Steelers game being turned on. I believe he backed down when threatened with physical violence. Because no one comes between Katie and a Steelers game.