At today’s game between the Ravens and the Steelers, the P.A. announcer asked Baltimore fans to join in a silent prayer that “we as a nation embrace kindness, unity, equality, and justice for all Americans.”
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The sentiment seemed well-received at first, but as soon as players in the field knelt to observe the prayer, a chorus of boos began to emanate from the audience.
The awkward and morbidly obtuse reaction seemed to drive home the point that much of the vitriol against the NFL protests is uninformed at best, and vilely bigoted at worst.
Writing for Slate, Nick Greene pointed out that the “absurd moment” proves “that much of the ire directed at protesting NFL players has nothing to do with the national anthem. (The Ravens stood for “The Star-Spangled Banner,” by the way.) The entire league is draped in a pall of confused and vicious anger, and it doesn’t seem as if anybody knows what to do about it.”
Further elucidating the hypocrisy, Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs (who took a knee in at a football game in London last week) was initially booed when his name was announced during the pre-game ceremonies. But fans had a change of heart when he took the field wearing a mask resembling the character Bane from then 2012 movie The Dark Knight Rises.
Featured image via screen grab
