Brandon Roy dips out during the National Anthem

[niketalker23]

Originally Posted by ERASCISM


Brandon should be fined or suspended if he continues to do it. You're on the job, son. You earn a wonderful living working for the National Basketball Association. Follow the protocol.
If he wants to express his personal beliefs, he can air it off the court. The Star Spangled Banner ain't got #### to do with it.

Shut the hell up. He's paid to play basketball, NOT to be patriotic. Besides, he's an AMERICAN and has every right to protest whatever the hell hewants in a non-violent way. Now people question his patriotism because he goes to the tunnel during the national anthem? Whether or not people like it, he hasthe right to do whatever the hell he wants.

 

[marionthebarberian]

if this guy does it, why cant roy?

 

[dmatt423]

Working at a major sporting venue, I see countless fans who don't acknowledge the anthem AT ALL. People keep walking down aisles more concerned aboutspilling their beers than putting their hands over their hearts and no one says anything to them.....it really comes down to choice

 

[DCAllAfrican]

Nice read from True Hoop this morning

[h3]Brandon Roy can stand where he wants for the anthem[/h3]
November, 25, 2009
Nov 25

11:03

AM ET

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By Henry Abbott

In today's Oregonian, John Canzano points out that Brandon Roy is in the habit of leaving the court and standing in a hallway under the stands during the national anthem. Roy says he does not do it to protest anything. He does it because he wants a quiet moment to himself.

Simple as that.

Roy also says that if a lot of people find it upsetting, he'll stop.

A prediction for you, Brandon:

A lot of people are going to find it upsetting.
Those stands are filled with all different kinds of people. But many of them are war veterans and their families.

Like you, I'm lucky enough to have never served in a war. We have the luxurious option of seeing the flag and anthem as symbols of our country.

Like, say, how a wedding ring is a symbol of a marriage.

I could not love my wife more, but if I lost my wedding ring, well, I'd look around for a while, be very happy that I had lost the little piece of gold and not, you know, the actual wife, and then I'd take my credit card to the jewelry store.

The ring is not my relationship, it's a symbol of it. A replaceable symbol.

Of course there are people who similarly love the heck out of America but just don't get all fired up about anthems and flags.

But I have to respect that for some, especially those who served in war, the flag and the anthem aren't just symbols. They're main ingredients. And it makes sense. They've spent time in hell, with friends and loved ones getting killed and maimed in service to that flag. In some cases, the flag is all they have left -- the loved ones are gone.

And why? Philosophers have tried to understand war for thousands of years. All that death. What do you get out of it? Sometimes it's confusing. Through all the funerals and the rehabilitation and the post-traumatic stress disorder and everything else, one thing we get out of it is ... that flag. Intact. Proud. Democratic. Free. American.

Go back to that wedding ring analogy. I was so happy that I had lost the ring and not the wife. But what if it were the other way around? What I were a widower, with just a ring left from what was a marriage? It wouldn't be the craziest thing ever to become fiercely protective of that ring, much like those who have lost people for the flag are about the flag.

Standing there for a couple of minutes while somebody sings doesn't seem like the worst thing to ask, if nothing else as a way to honor the people around us who have had terrible experiences we were so lucky to avoid.

Freedom.
All that said, let's not get confused.

It would be nice for Brandon Roy to honor people in this way, by standing proudly in front of fans, honoring the country, as the national anthem is sung.

But Canzano writes that "there's no government agency charged with policing the anthem," like that's a bad thing.

Look at the places on the planet where governments police singing and honoring the national anthem. I'd encourage you so start with the early pages of Brook Larmer's book "Operation Yao Ming" for instance, with tales of Yao's mother living through the horrible throes of Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution. Searching history, and the globe, you'll find plenty of paranoid dictators and autocratic regimes of all kinds who loved to make sure everyone sang along, no matter what was in their hearts.

In short, you'll find the kind of tyranny that the founding fathers were so eager to crush when they started this nation.

The belief in this country was that individual freedoms trumped widespread uniformity.

Yes, even during the national anthem.

And it's practical. The truth is that on a project like standing to honor the anthem and flag, getting almost everyone on board is easy. But getting absolutely everyone? That takes some brand of policing by some authority figure, whether it's the U.S. Government, David Stern or Nate McMillan. Who wants that? In a free society, we're always going to have to tolerate a few outliers, and that's OK.

So, let me say again, that it would be nice for Brandon Roy to stand on the court during the national anthem. I'd advise him to. But it's not required by law, nor by rule, and that's a good thing.

 

[in yo nostril]

live in america and make millions playing a game yet despise the country enough to not even be present for the national anthem. like he could be doing thatanywhere else in the world. gotta love it

 

[niketalker23]

Originally Posted by In Yo Nostril

live in america and make millions playing a game yet despise the country enough to not even be present for the national anthem. like he could be doing that anywhere else in the world. gotta love it

Like you said he's in America, and HE'S AMERICAN. He has THE RIGHT to protest by not being present during the national anthem. "Like he could bedoing that anywhere else in the world.."

 

[nomadicsole21]

Originally Posted by ERASCISM


Brandon should be fined or suspended if he continues to do it. You're on the job, son. You earn a wonderful living working for the National Basketball Association. Follow the protocol.
If he wants to express his personal beliefs, he can air it off the court. The Star Spangled Banner ain't got #### to do with it.

So where do the Toronto Raptors fall along the lines here?

It doesnt bother me one bit, no one would of known if Canzano didnt write about it.
No where did the article state that Roy was doing it to express his personal beliefs...fam just needs a moment to gather his thoughts before he goes out thereand does his job.
Which is to play basketball, and try to win a game for his team, not respect the National Anthem, being patriotic, nothin but shoot hoops.

 

[kash55]

Americans and their fundamentalist feelings towards patriotism.

The definition of patriotism that Americans hold is this dude....

Running around signing the national anthem, saying america rules, USA USA, #1 #1

They just want a SHOW. and IF you don't go around doing these things...you are labeled unpatriotic! you hate the country, you not with us! You one of them!Hateing america because your not walking around with the flag up your ***.

*sigh*
I just don't get it.

 

[niketalker23]

^ I don't get it either..Too many idiots in this country..

 

[sirius lee handsome]

Originally Posted by In Yo Nostril

live in america and make millions playing a game yet despise the country enough to not even be present for the national anthem. like he could be doing that anywhere else in the world. gotta love it

"Despise" is a bit extreme of a word to be using in this situation.

 

[erascism]

Originally Posted by NikeTalker23

Originally Posted by ERASCISM


Brandon should be fined or suspended if he continues to do it. You're on the job, son. You earn a wonderful living working for the National Basketball Association. Follow the protocol.
If he wants to express his personal beliefs, he can air it off the court. The Star Spangled Banner ain't got #### to do with it.

Shut the hell up. He's paid to play basketball, NOT to be patriotic. Besides, he's an AMERICAN and has every right to protest whatever the hell he wants in a non-violent way. Now people question his patriotism because he goes to the tunnel during the national anthem? Whether or not people like it, he has the right to do whatever the hell he wants.

Patriotism? Naaaaaah, that's not even where I was getting at. And you're all upset now.

My thing is he is expressing himself on the wrong platform and that is just asking for a media outburst. Players are on the J.O.; they gotta dressprofessionally, talk to the media, and take part in all kinds of corny activities because it's part of playing in the NBA. So although thenat'l anthem ain't in the contract, it is a tradition of our sporting events and as a paid athlete I think you should just swallow your pride for a few minutes and roll with the damn song. By him giving a vague reason for going into the tunnel is just asking for the wrong kind of attention.

 

[doublejs07]

He said he'll stop doing it if it bothers enough people.


I can't say that I agree with him doing this, but even if it bothers people, he should stay firm in his beliefs...if he doesn't want to be out on thefloor for the anthem, then so be it.

 

[hueyp in louiev]

Originally Posted by In Yo Nostril

no respect.

no respect for what?

 

[marionthebarberian]

Originally Posted by HueyP in LouieV

Originally Posted by In Yo Nostril

no respect.

no respect for what?

for the war veterans that fought for him to have rights.

 

[MVP]

So he's disrespecting the veterans by not staying for the national anthem, which in the Bill of Rights he's entitled not to have to do in the 1stplace. I don't understand...

 

[niketalker23]

Originally Posted by marionthebarberian

Originally Posted by HueyP in LouieV

Originally Posted by In Yo Nostril

no respect.

no respect for what?

for the war veterans that fought for him to have rights.

So why did they fight for those right if he can't act upon them? Why have freedom of expression if he can't do just that?

 

[king beef]

Originally Posted by marionthebarberian

Originally Posted by HueyP in LouieV

Originally Posted by In Yo Nostril

no respect.

no respect for what?

for the war veterans that fought for him to have rights.

You clearly don't know what "rights" are.

 

[hueyp in louiev]

Originally Posted by Mamba MVP

So he's disrespecting the veterans by not staying for the national anthem, which in the Bill of Rights he's entitled not to have to do in the 1st place. I don't understand...

Exactly.

Where is the lack of respect?

Is he cursing during the anthem or doing something disrespectful, or is he respectfully sticking to his beliefs?

 

[dacomeup]

Originally Posted by Mamba MVP

So he's disrespecting the veterans by not staying for the national anthem, which in the Bill of Rights he's entitled not to have to do in the 1st place. I don't understand...

Exactly. Everything that this country "stands for" is just ignored at times. Making someone stand for the national anthem is veryUN-American.

 

[datznasty]

Hmm, seems like some of the same ones of you going so hard on BRoy are the same dudes who were defending Westboro Baptist Church, T.E.A Party Members, JoeWilson for heckling Obama, or protesters who bring guns to health care rallies, etc. ad nauseum.

I'd say the people who hate America are the ones who tell somebody else how they should express their freedoms granted to them by virtue of being anAmerican citizen. Now that's anti American, trying to deny someone their constitution granted rights because you disagree ideaologically.

Double standard? People love talking freedom of speech and how everyone has their right to it until someone says something they disagree with.

It's an empty ritual anyways. So people who do stand are automatically more patriotic? Let me guess, people with flag bumper stickers are the mostpatriotic? This almost exactly mirrors the Christians who go to church vs those who don't whose better argument I've had with people before, and thenchurchgoers vs those who serve in the church in some capacity.

Hell, a recent survey showed 61% of Americans don't even know all the words to the National Anthem.

 

[clutchshooter]

JUWAN HOWARD IS STILL IN THE LEAGUE ???!!!



and no it's not necessary for him to stand with the team during the anthem.

the very idea of patriotism is a questionable grey area at best.

 

[DCAllAfrican]

Undercover race post is all this is.

 

[o fenomeno]

people are making some big assumptions. who says its a protest? who says he hates america? stop making inferences about his choice.

 

[kenji714]

Originally Posted by marionthebarberian

Originally Posted by HueyP in LouieV

Originally Posted by In Yo Nostril

no respect.

no respect for what?

for the war veterans that fought for him to have rights.

Stupid

 

[memphisboi55]

Let him be.