There's a right -- and wrong -- time and place.

Putting aside entirely the merit of the protests, there's a time and a place for everything, and I believe kneeling at the precise moment of the national anthem is the wrong time and place. There are two reasons:

First, doing it during the anthem interferes with what is a solemn and reverred experience for many Americans. I may have something important to say, but I would not interrupt someone else's solemn moment (e.g., a funeral) to speak my mind. I would wait for another time. These athletes have huge platforms and can speak with press coverage at almost any other time. It is my opinion they should do it at other times.

I believe America is the greatest country in history. It has drawn, and continues to draw, people from all over the globe seeking a better, and freer, life. Less than 100 years after breaking from English rule, it saw thousands of citizens spill blood to free the South of slavery. Relatives of mine marched through Europe and flew missions over Japan in World War II and were awarded purple hearts in Vietnam. When the latter returned from Vietnam, they were spat upon back home. But America is not a crowd spitting in 1969 or a cop in Minnesota in 2020. It is an idea, and an ideal. It is the idea that all people are equal, and that our rights are innate rather than granted by any government or anyone else. America is not perfect, but nothing on this planet is. I love this country, and when it appears the guys on the field feel the opposite, I don't enjoy the game.

Second (and perhaps less importantly), the players are employees and should not distract from the product they're hired to put on the field. A waiter may want to approach the patrons at one of his tables and preach politics, but his patrons may not want to hear it, and his boss thus may not want him to. I don't want politics in my sports.

I apologize for the length of this. I've never posted anything anywhere near this long.