Sask. Roughriders stand arm-in-arm during O Canada at Mosaic Stadium - Saskatche

Looks like you can't hide the CFL from the Trump and the politics what ya think eh!

I think one should always be cautious about messing in the affairs of a foreign country. I have also observed that Americans do not appreciate outsiders criticizing their country, nor their leadership, right or wrong.

Having said that, I can support the player's protests against
President Trump's comments, and appreciate their comments that it is his, and not Canada's, position that they are protesting.

This is football, not a podium to express your grievances. And If this continues or gets worse ,I will give up on sports.

Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

I have been serving in the Canadian Armed Forces since 1990, and I FULLY support the players who stand up (or kneel down) for their rights. That is one of the reasons I serve - so that people have the freedom to fight and express their rights and fight for their freedoms.

The little bit of respect I had for the riders is now gone. They are now my second most hated team.

This protest is not about freedom of speech, it is about the mis-treatment of people of colour.
It was started in protest of Police brutality and racial discrimination.
Strange how people can hold a Neo Nazi rally in Charleston under freedom of speech, but others aren't allowed to take a knee or lock arms in solidarity to protest racial discrimination.

The CFL and the TiCats in particular have a great history of racial equality for players.

Bernie Custis - first pro black QB (1951)

Cookie Gilchrist

Chuck Ealey

Warren Moon - CFL QB finally gets into NFL, only to get his opportunity by Hugh Campbell who was coaching the Houston Oilers at the time

It can be and has been sports that has broken through the barriers of discrimination.

Ask Jackie Robinson who had to play pro baseball in Canada to get his start about politics and sports.

or

Muhammad Ali

"Why should they ask me to put on a uniform and go 10,000 miles from home and drop bombs and bullets on brown people in Vietnam while so-called Negro people in Louisville are treated like dogs and denied simple human rights?"
"Man, I ain't got no quarrel with them Viet Cong. No Viet Cong ever called me nigger."
"I'm not going 10,000 miles from home to help murder and burn another poor nation simply to continue the domination of white slave masters of the darker people the world over."

and this

"Boxing is a lot of white men watching two black men beat each other up."
"Cassius Clay is a slave name. I didn't choose it, and I didn't want it. I am Muhammad Ali, a free name, and I insist people use it when speaking to me and of me."
"Nobody has to tell me that this is a serious business. I'm not fighting one man. I'm fighting a lot of men, showing a lot of 'em, here is one man they couldn't defeat, couldn't conquer. My mission is to bring freedom to 30m black people."

"I'm gonna fight for the prestige, not for me, but to uplift my little brothers who are sleeping on concrete floors today in America. Black people who are living on welfare, black people who can't eat, black people who don't know no knowledge of themselves, black people who don't have no future."

Question Boyz why are not both Nationalanthems sang ?!
???Wouldn’t that be more modern and politically correct
USA players protesting with our flag and Anthem that’s not right is it ?!

You must live in a sad world when you call this a “protest”, when it was a show of support for their compatriots in the NFL. You also seem to forget that over HALF the players in the CFL live in the States. Too bad you probably don’t have the spine to confront those who live with racism and bigotry in their home country.

As for the anthems - it’s the CANADIAN Football League, played in CANADA. When there was the US expansion, both anthems were performed.

Now, a great gesture by the League would be to have the Star Spangled Banner performed during this week’s games as well as O Canada…

DisplacedCatsFan - I have to agree with your first thought, but not your second. For me, this is an internal political matter, for Americans to deal with in whatever way they see fit, and in whatever way their political processes dictate. The USA is a foreign, sovereign nation, and we, as the CFL, and as a Nation have no call to be publicly and officially interferring or taking sides in their internal politics. Interfering in a domestic dispute rarely turns out well for the outsider, and we are the outsiders.

Besides, the playing the Star Spangled Baanner is seemingly the thing that is being protested. IMO, we are better to stick to football, and let individuals let their conscience guide their actions.

I stand united with all our players ! I have a spine yes ! I am just quoting national attention on this matter all over the news and yes I care and am aware that we have many USA players and I respect those I guess shouldn't call it protesting call it bringing awareness then ! So now your saying I should be banned or suspended on this forum for bringing up this topic come on really?!

8)Just quoting what one of the mods on here said last month !!

You obviously didn’t read that fact that came out during the Briels situation !!
I didn’t say it…The Mod for this site said it ::slight_smile:

Don’t stick your service in my face. But thanks foryour serviceanyways. There is many ways to get you point across without all thisCRAP at the game. It is called a election or open up your own forum. But I deal with shit 6 days a week and I would like my football games be activist free. Is asking for a few hrs of peace , to much?

While not league-approved, this action is completely consistent with the CFL's "Diversity is Strength" campaign, which itself was seen as a direct response to racial violence in the U.S. Therefore you could say it is "on brand" for the CFL. And in both cases, any messages being sent are targeted at the same group of people, whose voting preference happens to be completely obvious.

While i don’t disagree with your sentiment that sports is (and should be) an escape from day to day nonsense…

they’re standing… with linked arms… that seems kinda… respectful…

Is it an appropriate time to make this display? maybe, maybe not. but its definitely effective.

fair enough, but I’d say it’s more targeting a younger demographic rather than any particular political affiliation, that’s been the intent for years now.

one could say that’s one and the same, but that’s probably not the intent.

probably also doesn’t hurt player recruitment.

Not true at all. Lots of people who disagreed with Larry Flynt fought for his freedom to express his views.

It appears that you misunderstand my post. Your statement proves my assertion. Flynt (sp?) fought for freedom of expression. People believed in what he was saying. They may not have liked his chosen form of expression, but they agreed with what he was fighting for.

No. You’re conflating Flynt’s arguments about his right to free speech under US law with the “offensive” speech that he was trying to protect. Many people disagreed with the speech Flynt was trying to protect, but believed it still deserved protection even though they disagreed with it.

The whole point is that you don’t have to agree with someone’s views in order to support their right to express those views.

Folks are condemning football players who kneel during the anthem, on the grounds that the kneeling is “offensive”. You don’t have to agree with the players’ reasons for kneeling in order to support their right to do so (though many people do both).

This topic hasn’t been removed because the moderator staff is trying to be fair. Topics that talk about the NFL players protests are being removed (I’ve done so myself twice today). However, this topic is explicitly about something that occurred during a CFL game, and it stands to reason that people on the CFL forums should be allowed to talk about that incident.

The space to talk about this issue is bounded by the ability of folks here to discuss the issue without resorting to insults and innuendo; at that point, this or any other topic will get locked up. But for now, considering this literally is a discussion about the Canadian Football League and it’s been civil, it can stand.

(Also, no moderator that I know of has ever said mentioning a politician equals an instant ban. We’re mostly just locking or deleting the topic and that gets the point across.)

Counter to that… their right to do so, does not protect them from the consequences that arise afterwards. This is not the Govt coming down on them, it’s fans, potentially employers and etc.

That is to say, one can respect that they have the right to do this while thinking they shouldn’t in the manner in which they’ve chosen.