FS1's morning dumpster fire Undisputed has been a clearing house for far-left sports punditry, so it was only cemented Friday morning when co-hosts Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless shamefully ripped Green Bay Packers fans as white people more interested in “heartland patriotism” than protesting during the National Anthem.
A portion of the show’s opening hour was spent expressing their disappointment with Packers fans, starting with Sharpe stating that he was “absolutely not” surprised that fans didn’t do what had been demanded of them.
“What it comes down to, what the Packers fans and a lot of people across America, they don't give a damn about this issue. Let's make that abundantly clear and I think it laid itself out. When Aaron Rodgers, in his tone, he let you know that he was disappointed because this was an opportunity,” Sharpe declared.
Sharpe also took a few minutes to have the gall to mock the fans who chanted U-S-A:
So, what they told — they was chanting U-S-A. For a second there, I wasn't sure if Green Bay, Wisconsin was in the U-S-A and, then again, I was like who was they playing Mexico? Costa Rica? Maybe the Russian national team. Chicago, Green Bay, two cities that are in America. Hey, I digress on that.
Somehow, Sharpe also roped Americans of all incomes with millionaire team owners as collectively not concerned about the plight of minorities and others who don’t feel they have full equality in the United States.
“I'm not shocked in the slightest that this is what is taking place because, although they tried to change the narrative, be it the Anthem, the flag, the military, it comes down to as simple as this. I can't make it any more abundantly clear than what I'm about to say. A lot of Americans do not give a damn about this issue and they say look, I come to cheer you, you are there to entertain me. If your politics align with mine, I will listen to you. If they don't, shut your mouth and just play the game and leave me be,” Sharpe declared.
While Bayless broke with Sharpe over his attacks on the American flag, Bayless was in lockstep.
He fretted that he “was shocked by what I did not see in the stands in Green Bay, Wisconsin at Lambeau Field last night” by having “fully expected to see about 82,000 people lock arms because the leader of Packer nation, the great Aaron Rodgers, the mayor of Green Bay, the Governor of Wisconsin, the maestro of all things Packers, the Pied Piper had — it was beyond a request.”
“He had all but ordered everybody in the stadium let's just do this, let's lock arms,” he added.
Just as Sharpe mocked Packers fans chanting U-S-A, Bayless bemoaned how “vast portions of the stadium in which people were just standing alone with hand over heart, no locked arms” and, my goodness, “going so far as to go beyond hand over heart.”
“They were saluting the flag, almost like they were rebelling against the request to lock arms. Saluting the flag. What...I just didn't see this one coming. So, it enlightened me. I'm not saying in a positive way. It just enlightened me to the bottom line...Donald Trump...did win the state of Wisconsin and it felt like he won again last night. That's how it came across or maybe I go bigger picture. Maybe heartland patriotism won last night. That's what was on display,” Bayless callously argued.
The former First Take star took a shot at Rodgers for reportedly giving tickets to police officers and also admitted that he realized Thursday night “that too many white Americans immediately close their eyes and their ears and their hearts and their minds to the message.”
He concluded by continuing to blindly maligning Packers fans without knowing a single thing about each of the 82,000 people at Lambeau Field:
They just didn't want, boom, it's over. Again, it's just Green Bay, Wisconsin or that area, Packer nation, 82,000 strong in that stadium, but it looked like a whole bunch of people had shut off that message. It was long ago lost because they're not with their black Green Bay Packers. They're not going to show support not at the expense of that flag and that anthem. Nope. Sorry. So it made me wonder was the mark missed? Was it the wrong way to protest? Did it? Because I keep telling you, I think Colin Kaepernick had national impact but I don't have any scientific data. I'm just going off my gut feeling and my own instinct.
Here’s the relevant transcript from FS1's Skip and Shannon: Undisputed replay on September 29:
FS1's Skip and Shannon: Undisputed
September 29, 2017
3:03 p.m. Eastern[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Anthem Protest; GB def. CHI 35-14, few fans join teams in linking arms during anthem; Surprised most Packer fans ignored the request to link arms?]
JOY TAYLOR: Shannon, are you surprised by the crowd’s response?
SHANNON SHARPE: Absolutely not. Absolutely not. Absolutely not. Skip, in the statement that Packers released and the packers players released, Skip, and it, you know, it basically said: “It's the coming together of players who want the same things that all of us do. Freedom, equality, tolerance, understanding, and justice for those who have been unjustly treated — discriminated against.” The Packers —
SKIP BAYLESS: That was what Martellus, I think wrote that, right?
SHARPE: Right. Right.
BAYLESS: Okay.
SHARPE: So, this is what they’re saying. I told you from the very, very beginning, everybody tried to change the narrative. Oh, it's about the Anthem. Oh, it's about the flag. It's about the military. What it comes down to, what the Packers fans and a lot of people across America, they don't give a damn about this issue. Let's make that abundantly clear and I think it laid itself out. When Aaron Rodgers, in his tone, he let you know that he was disappointed because this was an opportunity. We’re linking arms, we’re going to stand at attention, flags waving, the National Anthem is being played and this is what we want. We would like to think that everybody in America, because we’ve heard that America is unperfect — is not perfect, so we have been trying to tell you, can we tell you about some of these imperfections it has? Can we tell you about some of the affecting our community? So, what they told — they was chanting U-S-A. For a second there, I wasn't sure if Green Bay, Wisconsin was in the U-S-A and, then again, I was like who was they playing Mexico? Costa Rica? Maybe the Russian national team. Chicago, Green Bay, two cities that are in America. Hey, I digress on that.
You have a very interesting dichotomy going on here, Skip. Because the powerful people, the people that are trying to give voice to the people that can't be heard are millionaires and now you have the people that can't be heard and want their cries to be heard that are normally minorities or poor, so what we tell the millionaires? Hold up. You're not oppressed. You're not discriminated against. Why the bleep am I listening to you? The people that are minorities and being discriminated against, be it racially or gender-wise, you’re complaining. See, it's almost like they look at these black guys like they, once upon a time, were these guys. It's like the chicken and the egg, like the chicken didn't come from the egg. And when you look at it, Skip, I was like — should I be disappointed? Should I be sad? No. No and then you read around the league that Delaney Walker is getting death threats and you hear about some of these other things that are going on, and I was like wow, just imagine if racism actually existed, what would have been happening, what would have been said. Skip, I'm not shocked in the slightest that this is what is taking place because, although they tried to change the narrative, be it the Anthem, the flag, the military, it comes down to as simple as this. I can't make it any more abundantly clear than what I'm about to say. A lot of Americans do not give a damn about this issue and they say look, I come to cheer you, you are there to entertain me. If your politics align with mine, I will listen to you. If they don't, shut your mouth and just play the game and leave me be.
(....)
BAYLESS: I was shocked by what I did not see in the stands in Green Bay, Wisconsin at Lambeau Field last night. I fully expected — maybe I'm pollyanna now. I fully expected to see about 82,000 people lock arms because the leader of Packer nation, the great Aaron Rodgers, the mayor of Green Bay, the Governor of Wisconsin, the maestro of all things Packers, the Pied Piper had — it was beyond a request. He had all but ordered everybody in the stadium let's just do this, let's lock arms. The Green Bay Post-Gazette ran an editorial yesterday encouraging, asking, almost beseeching everyone to lock arms — the headline was “Let’s link arms at tonight’s Packers game for justice, for unity and for country.” This is The Green Bay Post-Gazette and I'm thinking oh, this will be nice to see. This will be dare I say heartwarming because Packer nation loves its Packers as much as any nation loves its team because it's a little, small-market team in the heartland and they fight for their team because their team is all they really have in that little region. It also includes Milwaukee but — I was stunned to see vast portions, again, hope I'm not overreacting or we're not overreacting on what we can or can't see on television.
But I saw vast portions of the stadium in which people were just standing alone with hand over heart, no locked arms. I saw some Packer fans going so far as to go beyond hand over heart. They were saluting the flag, almost like they were rebelling against the request to lock arms. Saluting the flag. What? Then we heard Aaron, we heard what Martellus said. There were chants of U-S-A. Is that good or bad, is that rebellious like we are still fighting for U-S-A, U-S-A and some, probably just one guy yelling from a nearby seat to the bench area put your hand over your heart and Martellus says back up. Wow. I just didn't see this one coming. So, it enlightened me. I'm not saying in a positive way. It just enlightened me to the bottom line, I mentioned yesterday, Donald Trump, during the election, did win the state of Wisconsin and it felt like he won again last night.
That's how it came across or maybe I go bigger picture. Maybe heartland patriotism won last night. That's what was on display. Then we had all the mixed messages. You want to talk about mixed messages. We had all day yesterday, Aaron Rodgers usually leaves for Packers fans like a treasure hunt, a few tickets that they could go fine, he made it clear he tweeted yesterday today I'm giving my tickets to police in Green Bay. Was it a mixed message — what? Because the original protest was about police brutality against black people so now Aaron, the white quarterback of the Packers, is giving tickets to the policemen. It’s like what, and Tracy Wolfson on CBS made a strong point before the game last night, Aaron Rodgers wants it — told, you know, through the CBS crew, he wanted us to know this is not a protest tonight. It's just a show of unity. Okay? So which is it? Because it is kind of a protest. You’re still behind your black brothers on the team who are protesting, right?
SHARPE: Right.
(....)
BAYLESS: And it's powerful because you’ve told me from the start that protests are designed to make people uncomfortable.
SHARPE: Absolutely.
BAYLESS: So what's the quickest, strongest, fastest way to make white people uncomfortable? If a black man sits or kneels for the national anthem. Okay?
SHARPE: If he's doing anything during the National Anthem other than standing at attention, it would be viewed as disrespectful and media will ask you why were you doing this during the playing of the National Anthem? And that was his answer to tell them why.
(....)
BAYLESS: And something hit me right between the eyes last night. Maybe I'm missing the point that too many white Americans immediately close their eyes and their ears and their hearts and their minds to the message. They just didn't want, boom, it's over. Again, it's just Green Bay, Wisconsin or that area, Packer nation, 82,000 strong in that stadium, but it looked like a whole bunch of people had shut off that message.
SHARPE: Yes.
BAYLESS: It was long ago lost because they're not with their black Green Bay Packers. They're not going to show support not at the expense of that flag and that anthem. Nope. Sorry. So it made me wonder was the mark missed? Was it the wrong way to protest? Did it? Because I keep telling you, I think Colin Kaepernick had national impact but I don't have any scientific data. I'm just going off my gut feeling and my own instinct.
