Make 'em stand?

[Anonymous]

I understand the position that players should not be using games and pre-game festivities for their personal protests, but what can teams do about it? Can they demand that their players stand for the national anthem?

I guess teams can opt to cut them if they "embarrass" the team in such a way, or use team games/festivities for their own purposes...
But legally, can an organization demand that their players/representatives stand for the anthem? Would that violate some sort of labor and/or civil rights law(s)?

[Anonymous]

Aren't the players employees? So yes, they can be told what to do. That's what I think, anyways.

[Anonymous]

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/09/02/players-cant-be-disciplined-for-not-standing-for-anthem-but/

"Unlike the NBA, the NFL has no rule requiring players to stand. And while it’s possible individual teams have (or may adopt) such a rule, the Collective Bargaining Agreement does not authorize teams to impose fines or otherwise discipline players for not standing during the anthem.

As a practical matter, however, the NFLPA realizes that players can be cut for refusing to conform, if the teams are smart enough to avoid saying or doing anything that would suggest that the move has anything to do with not standing for the anthem. That’s surely one of the reasons why the 49ers have made it clear that quarterback Colin Kaepernick can do whatever he wants to do during the anthem. If/when they release him, anything other than a firewall between respect for the flag and football ability will invite a grievance based on the claim that the team cut him because of his activism."

[Anonymous]

Well, the protests are a form of political speech, which is not protected by law.

In most jobs you are an at will employee that can be hired or fired for almost any reason, but I would think that these players have pretty detailed contracts.

I would guess that the players have contracts that specify the reasons that they can be fired. I have no idea what those contracts look like, or whether there are stipulations regarding a player's behavior.

They could probably also be fired under a pretense. But I don't think the teams have any real reason to bother with this. It seems that there are a lot of fans that are passionate on both sides of the issue. The team just wants to make money, so if this stuff doesn't lose money, no big deal.

[Anonymous]

The are 11,900,000 reasons Kaepernick won't be cut.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Aren't the players employees? So yes, they can be told what to do. That's what I think, anyways.

Not exactly. They are not at-will employees. They are under Collective Bargaining. So the work rules are a matter of what is negotiated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well, the protests are a form of political speech, which is not protected by law.

In most jobs you are an at will employee that can be hired or fired for almost any reason, but I would think that these players have pretty detailed contracts.

I would guess that the players have contracts that specify the reasons that they can be fired. I have no idea what those contracts look like, or whether there are stipulations regarding a player's behavior.

They could probably also be fired under a pretense. But I don't think the teams have any real reason to bother with this. It seems that there are a lot of fans that are passionate on both sides of the issue. The team just wants to make money, so if this stuff doesn't lose money, no big deal.

Political speech is protected by law.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, the protests are a form of political speech, which is not protected by law.

In most jobs you are an at will employee that can be hired or fired for almost any reason, but I would think that these players have pretty detailed contracts.

I would guess that the players have contracts that specify the reasons that they can be fired. I have no idea what those contracts look like, or whether there are stipulations regarding a player's behavior.

They could probably also be fired under a pretense. But I don't think the teams have any real reason to bother with this. It seems that there are a lot of fans that are passionate on both sides of the issue. The team just wants to make money, so if this stuff doesn't lose money, no big deal.

Political speech is protected by law.

I meant *At work* sorry.

[Anonymous]

Would that make us a stronger democracy, OP?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Would that make us a stronger democracy, OP?

No, but it would make us closer to Putin's Russia, which is what the deplorables want anyway.

[Anonymous]

Depends on what their union agreement says. It would be terrible publicity for a team to fire a player over this, if they are even allowed to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Aren't the players employees? So yes, they can be told what to do. That's what I think, anyways.

The laws of a business are not above the laws of a country . You must've graduated from Trump university .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Aren't the players employees? So yes, they can be told what to do. That's what I think, anyways.

The laws of a business are not above the laws of a country . You must've graduated from Trump university .

And you must not have graduated high school.

[Anonymous]

I don't care if they sit during the national anthem. They have short lived careers and will only have to stand for the national anthem during their careers as acting assistant head coaches at low performing public schools. The celebrity will have faded along with the money and they will need the job and out up with what goes with it

[Anonymous]

I really love how people DEMAND a show of patriotism.

It's like forcing a country into becoming a democracy.

That's not how any of this works...