Epic ignorance on display at ESPN. Respect for the Anthem, the Flag and the troops is not politics. It’s patriotism, respect and love of country. Anyone who doesn’t understand that simply shouldn’t be allowed to babble away on a nationally broadcast TV show. This is exactly the reason why millions of people no longer watch ESPN.
Thursday, ESPN “First Take” co-host Max Kellerman shared his reaction to Seattle Seahawks defensive lineman Michael Bennett comparing free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick to boxing legend Muhammad Ali.
Kellerman admitted the two athletes are very different, but said the two are similar in that neither “went out looking for a protest.”
The ESPN personality then argued that Kaepernick did not inject politics into the NFL, but rather the NFL injects politics by playing the national anthem and “putting pressure” on people to stand.
Partial transcript as follows:
“Colin Kaepernick also did not go looking for a protest. It came to him. He was asked to stand for the national anthem. You do not have to stand for the national anthem. And even if it it was a rule that you did, is that Colin Kaepernick injecting politics in the NFL? No. That’s the NFL injecting politics by playing the national anthem and putting pressure on you to stand for it in the first place.”