Donald Trump’s war on American football, basketball

This 23 September 2017 video from the USA is called NFL, NBA Players, Coaches Respond To Trump Speech, Tweets.

Another video from the USA used to say about itself:

Trump Declares War on Colin Kaepernick, NFL and NBA Athletes

23 September 2017

With our neighbors to the south, Mexico, recovering after getting hit with a series of earthquakes, and Puerto Rico still dealing with the effects of Hurricane Maria, Donald Trump spoke to the crowd at a campaign rally for “Big” Luther Strange in Huntsville, Alabama on Friday about offering a helping hand to those in need.

Man, who are we kidding? Instead, Trump attacked the NFL players who protest racism and police violence by not standing during the national anthem. “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when someone disrespects our flags to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now! Out,” he said. “He’s fired! He’s fired!'”

In August 2016, when Colin Kaepernick was still one of few American Football players who took a knee in protest against racism and police violence, Trump proposed to deport Kaepernick. Now, there are far more players protesting.

70% of American football players in the National Football League are African American. 0% of the rich owners of American football clubs are African American. Not one of these bosses has hired Kaepernick, now out of work.

The dark racial sentiment in Trump’s NBA and NFL criticism: here.

From daily The Independent in Britain today:

Take a knee: Dozens of NFL players stage biggest protest yet in response to Donald Trump comments

Samuel Osborne, Alexandra Wilts

London, Washington DC

Around two dozen NFL players knelt while the American national anthem played at Wembley Stadium in London, defying Donald Trump after he suggested players who take a knee during the anthem should be fired.

Over the weekend, Mr Trump has repeatedly denounced such protests by athletes, verbally attacked two of the world’s most powerful sports leagues and seemingly uninvited the NBA champion Golden State Warriors from the traditional White House visit for league victors.

Among the players who took a knee at the matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars were Ravens’ linebackers Terrell Suggs and CJ Mosley, wide receiver Mike Wallace and safety Lardarius Webb. Jaguars’ running backs Leonard Fournette and Dante Fowler, defensive tackle Calais Campbell, defensive end Yannick Ngakoue and cornerback Jalen Ramsey also kneeled.

Players on both teams and Jaguars owner Shad Khan, who were not kneeling, remained locked arm-in-arm throughout the national anthem and “God Save The Queen.”

No players were kneeling during the British national anthem.

While speaking in Huntsville, Alabama on Friday night, Mr Trump employed an expletive to refer to athletes who sit or kneel during the anthem, a movement that began last year when Colin Kaepernick, then a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, began doing so to highlight, as he has said, police brutality and racial injustice.

“Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a b**** off the field right now. Out! He’s fired. He’s fired!’” the president said at a rally for Republican senator Luther Strange, who is running in a special election next week to remain in the seat vacated by attorney general Jeff Sessions.

“You know, some owner is going to do that. He’s going to say, ‘That guy that disrespects our flag, he’s fired.’ And that owner, they don’t know it [but] they’ll be the most popular person in this country.”

Mr Trump’s comments drew a strong response from several athletes and the commissioner of the NFL, Roger Goodell, who called Mr Trump’s comments “divisive”.

This 23 September 2017 video from the USA says about itself:

Lebron James “Donald Trump Is A Bum” Reacts To Steph Curry Being Univited To White House

Lebron James defends Stephen Curry after Donald Trump disrespects Golden State Warriors.

From daily The Independent in Britain today:

Donald Trump calls for NFL boycott over ‘take a knee’ protests

US president has spent weekend denouncing football and basketball stars

Donald Trump has called on fans of American Football to stop attending games “until players stop disrespecting our flag and country”, amid a row over political protests at US sports events.

The US president has undertaken a weekend-long rant in which he has denounced the protests by NFL players and rescinded a White House invitation for NBA champion Stephen Curry.

His outbursts have brought swift condemnation from league executives and star players alike.

Wading into thorny issues of race and politics, Trump’s comments in a Friday night speech and a series of Saturday tweets drew sharp responses from some of the nation’s top athletes, with LeBron James calling the president a “bum.” Hours later, Major League Baseball saw its first player take a knee during the national anthem.

Trump started by announcing that Curry, the popular two-time MVP for the Golden State Warriors, would not be welcome at the White House for the commemorative visit traditionally made by championship teams: “Going to the White House is considered a great honour for a championship team. Stephen Curry is hesitating, therefore invitation is withdrawn!”

Later, Trump reiterated what he said at a rally in Alabama the previous night – that NFL players who kneel for the national anthem should be fired, and called on NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to tell them to stand.

He then went further on Sunday morning by telling fans to boycott games.

“If NFL fans refuse to go to games until players stop disrespecting our Flag & Country, you will see change take place fast,” he tweeted. “Fire or suspend!”

The Warriors said it was made clear to them that they were not welcome at the White House.

Curry had said he did not want to go anyway, but the Warriors had not made a collective decision before Saturday — and had planned to discuss it in the morning before the president’s tweet, to which coach Steve Kerr said : “Not surprised. He was going to break up with us before we could break up with him.”

Others had far stronger reactions.

“U bum (at)StephenCurry30 already said he ain’t going!” James tweeted in a clear message to the president — a post that Twitter officials said was quickly shared many more times than any other he’s sent. “So therefore ain’t no invite. Going to White House was a great honour until you showed up!”

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