Plains VFW cancels NFL package

The VFW in Plains put principle above money when they voted to cancel their subscription to the National Football League (NFL) sports package, even though they’ve already paid for it.

“No one should kneel when the anthem is played. Too many people died for that flag,” reads the notice put up on the front door of VFW Post 3596, adding that effective Oct. 18, the club will no longer be televising NFL games.

The notice continues, “People are free to protest but not then. We are free to not watch, or pay to watch them play if they do that. The NFL should make it a rule that everyone stands for the national anthem. There is no free speech to disobey when it is a private employer on private property. This would solve the problem immediately. The NFL has deeply offended most of America. They will pay an economic and reputational price, as they should.”

Post Commander Doug Browning said they voted unanimously and quickly at an early October meeting to cancel the NFL package. “We did it because of the way the NFL players are not standing and not showing respect to the flag or the country,” said Browning, who has been in the U.S. Army Reserves for 26 years. The idea to cancel the sports package came from Dave Paske, a past post commander. But Browning said everyone at the meeting was for the cancellation and the only discussion was against the football players.

Browning said he understands why they’re protesting, and despite that the players say it’s not against the flag or the military, he believes kneeling during the national anthem is disrespecting the flag and not the proper place to demonstrate their anger. “There are other ways they can protest the things they’re mad about,” said Browning.

The protesting began last year with Colin Kaepernick, a quarterback with the San Francisco 49ers, who told the press that he was demonstrating against police brutality of black people. He since has left the 49ers, but has not been picked up by any other team. Other teams continued the protest, which has alienating some of their sports fans.

“Everybody that was there voted for it, and it wasn’t a quiet vote – it was a loud yes,” said VFW Quartermaster Joe Eisenbrandt. “It’s a slap in the face to veterans and to the country,” said Eisenbrandt, who said the post paid just over $600 for the sports package. He said that even though football games draw a lot of customers to the club, he hasn’t noticed any decline of customers.

“We could lose money on it and probably will, but it’s just that we were upset that nobody in the NFL was doing anything about it,” said Browning. “The owners could have done something about it, but didn’t.” Eisenbrandt said they ordered T-shirts that read, “These colors will not take a knee.” “I ordered 36 of them and they’re already sold,” said the U.S. Navy Vietnam War veteran. Eisenbrandt said they’ve only had positive feedback, including a retired professional football player, who also purchased one of the shirts.

Two VFW posts in Ohio and one in Florida have also canceled their NFL packages, as did an American Legion in Ohio. In Sanders County, the Legion in Paradise is closed, the one in Thompson Falls uses an Elk’s Club for its meetings, and the VFW in Hot Springs holds its meetings at the Creekside Sports Bar and Grill. The Plains VFW, however, has its own club property.

Browning said he was pleased that President Trump spoke out against the protest. “He’s speaking for a lot of Americans,” said Browning. The post commander added that he’s also glad that some of the football players have chosen to go against their teammates and stand for the Star-Spangled Banner. “Those guys are doing what they believe is right,” he said.

Browning said the club has not canceled any other sports packages, but he noted that if those players disrespect the flag, those packages would be canceled, too. He also said that if the football players stop their protest during the national anthem, they would renew the NFL package.