How Freedom of Speech Really Works
There continues to be a good bit of spirted discussion about certain National Football League players who believe they have a right to kneel during the playing (or performance of) the National Anthem prior to games.
In the conversations I have been involved with there are some who are somewhat surprised by my stance although it puzzles me to some degree they would be. I suppose it’s because I have always expressed being a First Amendment absolutist. After all, for 99 percent of my professional career I have made a living through the First Amendment. Beyond that, I have always had an understanding of how important it is.
We should not lose track of the fact that players in the NFL are employees. They do not own the team they play for and they do not (contrary to some beliefs) run the league.
The key thing to remember is that professional football players, despite the many benefits and perks they have due to the players’ union, are just like any other employee in many aspects. If the owner of a professional team does not want his employees kneeling during the National Anthem then the players do not have some magical right to disobey their boss and do it anyway without consequences.
Each week I submit columns to this publication. If the publisher does not want to use the column in the newspaper she owns then it is not censorship. I know on the surface that would be the reaction of many. However, it’s actually not.
If I do not like the fact that the publisher will not use my column in her newspaper then there are alternatives. I can start my own newspaper and then publish the column along with anything else I desire. In today’s world a much easier and less expensive option would be to publish the column on a personal website or post it to any number of social media venues.
The publisher of this or any newspaper never has any obligation to print anything I submit. During the years I worked full-time in the print journalism industry I can only remember a couple of times when a publisher had reservations about something I had written. On those occasions we discussed it. On one occasion I understood what the publisher was saying and agreed to submit something else for that upcoming issue.
On the other occasion the publisher asked me to wait a week to see if I was still as adamant about including the column. After a few days I clearly saw the need to rewrite the editorial and after that it was used.
Getting back to the NFL, it is still a very flimsy argument that some are trying to make that the players have a right to do whatever they want in terms of “protesting.” In reality, I fail to see how kneeling during the playing of the National Anthem does anything positive for any cause.
Many of the players say they are protesting action by police against certain groups in our society. I will be the first to admit there are countless numbers of questionable arrests in the country. They are made every day. You can view them until your heart is content by looking at YouTube.
A millionaire professional athlete has numerous avenues to raise awareness of this and any other issue. However, ask 99.9 percent of veterans in the country and they will tell you that kneeling during the playing of the National Anthem is an insult and a slap in their face.
It seems odd if you believe in a cause (any cause) then why in the world would you want to anger our country’s veterans. And if the owner of a team sets a policy that kneeling is not allowed then that ends the discussion.
The owner has the right to set rules for his business. If the players (employees) don’t like those rules then they are more than welcome to quit receiving the massive paycheck they receive and go work somewhere else.
It’s no different than an employer setting a dress code. If one doesn’t want to abide by that or any rule (not arriving late for work) then that person can also go work somewhere else. To say “my freedom of expression is being violated” is absurd.
It’s also unfortunate that many have chosen sides in this issue based on politics. Those who support the president tend to be against kneeling by NFL players per his stance. Those who are against the president have taken the side of the players.
This issue is not about politics. It’s about an employer having the right to set rules for employees. Each one of us has numerous rules where we work. Try violating them too often and see where that gets you.
The fact that some NFL players believe rules should not apply to them is laughable.
Monticello native Chris Bridges is a long-time newspaper columnist. He welcomes feedback from readers of The Monticello News at pchrisbridges@gmail.com.