While professional sports leagues have taken it upon themselves to shove a giant middle finger in the faces of American sports fans, one NFL legend is standing up for freedom and the American flag on the pitch.
Over the weekend, all time great Mike Ditka brutalized the latest wave of anti-American flag/anti-national anthem protests that have swept several American sports leagues in the last couple of years. He expressed his frustration for a movement devoted to berating U.S. law enforcement over myths of “systemic racism,” advising that professional anthem kneelers should simply get out.
Yeah, considering all the chaos that has happened since the death of George Floyd, we’re about as exasperated too.
After Major League Baseball swung for the social justice fences with their high profile Black Lives Matter kneeling display during the season opener last week, and the Boston Red Sox’s painting of a massive Black Lives Matter sign outside Fenway Park (which came colored in charming jet black, might we add,) the hall of famer made an impassioned address to the idiots who want to cram all this America-hating down sports fans’ throats.
“If you can't respect our national anthem, get the hell out of the country,” the Super Bowl winning player and coach told TMZ Sports June 26 on a livestream video from his living room. “That’s the way I feel. Of course, I’m old fashioned so I’m only going to say what I feel,” the NFL legend added.
Though before you all get on the case of the “old-fashioned'' 80 year-old, know that his opinion on the flag matter was prompted by TMZ’s question about his new, all-female football league. Ditka had been invited to share his thoughts on becoming the new chairman of the “X League,” an all-female tackle football organization and explained why he thought the venture was a great idea.
“Women play every sport there is in the country, except football. So why not football? It’s a league where these women have a lot of talent or they’re very good athletes and they like to play football,” he explained.
How’s that for “old-fashioned?” The dude’s making more strides for social justice than Antifa and BLM could shake a stolen police baton at. Now, here’s women getting some real equality. Though perhaps Ditka should just make a statement by burning a bra or throwing his wife’s rolling pins into the trash compactor along with the stars and stripes and call it a day. That’s what pop culture recognizes as true activism these days anyways.
The outlet then prompted Ditka on whether his all-female league would encourage kneeling and he gave his terse answer. He added, “I think there’s a way that you protest and there’s a way you don’t protest. You don’t protest against the flag, and you don’t protest against this country, whose given you the opportunity to make a living playing a sport you never thought would happen.”
“I don’t want to hear all the crap,” Ditka concluded. It’s just proof that once a legend, always a legend.
