The NFL Protests May, At the Very Least, Help Someone Feel a Little Less Alone, Which Is Something

NFL Protests brought together rivals and reminded us all the WNBA exists.

A lot happened this week, including the death of Hugh Marston Hefner, founder of Playboy Magazine. Though his life was full of shock and controversy, at 91, his death comes as no surprise.

As per his wishes, Hugh Hefner is to be buried next to his long-deceased first love, Print Media.

Of course, the story that dominated the news for much of this week involved the heightened tensions between Colin Kaepernick, the NFL, and Donald Trump.

Many were already on edge about NFL activism, but Trump escalated the situation by accusing the protesting players of being a bunch of SOBs. And I think we can all agree that the only time it is ever acceptable for our President to call a football player a son of a bitch is when he's referring to Air Bud: Golden Receiver.

Trump's comments angered a slew of athletes, which in turn united them. Even fierce competitors came together to express mutual disdain for our commander in chief. I mean, considering the bitter rivalry between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors, I'm still shocked that Trump got LeBron James to defend Steph Curry. But you know what they say: The enemy of my enemy is my president.

WNBA players also joined in the protest, but no one particularly cared. The women of the WNBA are incredible athletes, but honestly, every game could start with the players walking onto the court and lighting a pile of American flags on fire while wearing matching Osama Bin Laden jerseys, and most Americans would be like, "Oh, is the WNBA still a thing?"

It was impressive to see so many athletes take a stance against Trump's comments, but it's important to remember that Kaepernick wasn't initially protesting the president or the flag or the military. He was protesting racial injustice in America. And while it's great that so many more NFL players are participating in the dissidence, it's important not to forget why this all started and to give Kaepernick credit for taking a stance against racism.

We should also give some credit to Seth Devalve, the first white NFL player to kneel during the National Anthem. Devalve stated that he took a knee in an effort to show support for Kaepernick's cause and solidarity for his African American friends and family. Though, there's always the chance that he only started kneeling during the National Anthem because he saw a bunch of Black guys doing something and thought, "Well, I guess that's what's cool now."

Look, we're all adult enough to realize that a bunch of millionaires kneeling during a song isn't enough to curb police brutality or influence prejudiced politicians to take a stance against racism or convict any of the officers who've walked away scott free after shooting an unarmed citizen. We've all seen enough bold gestures and brave acts fade away into forgotten oblivion to know that there's a strong chance not much will come from this, and it would be foolish to put our hopes for progress in the hands of the NFL. But, if anything, these protests may, at the very least, help someone out there feel a little less alone. And while that's not much, it's still something.

Of course, Florida, Texas, and Puerto Rico are still struggling to recover after having been devastated by hurricanes; an earthquake ravaged Mexico, and there's still the looming threat of nuclear war with North Korea. So no matter how you feel about the NFL or the National Anthem, it's important to remember that shit's fucked and we're all gonna die.

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