VFW stops airing NFL games to protest kneeling

The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2252 in downtown Kalispell voted earlier this week to stop airing games from the National Football League in their public lounge.

The move was billed as an act of defiance against players who have taken to kneeling during the national anthem when it is played before games, Post Commander Jerry Stewart told the Daily Inter Lake.

The vote occurred Nov. 7 at the monthly Post meeting, where nearly all of about 25 members in attendance voted in favor of turning off games in the future, he said. The Post announced the decision in a radio ad.

“I’ll tell you there was probably at least 90 percent of the people voted aye, almost a unanimous decision,” Stewart said.

The feeling in the room was that many members did not like the players kneeling for the national anthem, and this was an appropriate method of making that feeling known, Stewart said.

“We’re the VFW. We’re American. We’re patriotic,” Stewart said.

Stewart said the voices of dissent were minimal, but advocated for the players’ constitutional right to express themselves. Stewart said he agreed that they had every right to express themselves, but also said they had the right to turn the games off for the same reason.

He said the Post hasn’t noticed a drop-off in business since the decision. He also said he didn’t know when they would turn the games back on, but he didn’t see it happening in the near future.

“We voted to cancel it,” Stewart said. “Once you cancel it, that’s it.”

The trend of professional athletes kneeling during the national anthem began when former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the 2016 preseason to protest the oppression of black people and police brutality in America.

Well over a year later, players in the NFL and across other professional sports leagues have taken a knee, locked arms with teammates or raised a fist in tribute to the cause. Kaepernick was recently named Citizen of the Year by GQ Magazine for his advocacy efforts.

Many civil rights advocates have lined up to support Kaepernick, while other public figures have lined up against them. At a campaign stop in Hunstville, Alabama in September, President Donald Trump joined the latter group, saying he thought NFL owners should fire players who kneel.

“Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now,” Trump said. “He’s fired. He’s fired!”

Kaepernick, who led the 49ers to the Super Bowl during the 2012 season, opted out of his contract at the end of last year’s campaign and has yet to be picked up by another team, despite the fact that the next season has been underway for months. Many in the league have publicly voiced the belief that his relegation to free agency is due more to his outspoken nature than his playing ability.

Reporter Peregrine Frissell can be reached at (406) 758-4438 or pfrissell@dailyinterlake.com.