I've found the best way to watch football is alone.
It seems to be the only way to avoid all talk not related to football. And there's one subject that inevitably gets brought up: protests.
I sit down to enjoy NFL football on a Sunday night with family and I'm asked about the national anthem protests.
Why aren't they standing for the anthem? Do they get penalized for doing it? On and on and on. It's almost time for kickoff. Sorry, but it's time to stop the political talk.
I'm here to watch football, not discuss what happened during the anthem.
We don't need interviews with Donald Trump being aired during a game. Sideline reporters don't need to ask coaches about their team's protest.
Leave it all for the talk shows. There's no need for my football viewing area to become the set of a talk show.
Sports is an escape. A chance to ignore everything else that's going on. And avoiding everything related to protests is all I want each Sunday. Apparently that's too much to ask.
The same occurs no matter where I go. Did anyone sit during the anthem today? I'm not watching if they disrespect the flag and our troops.
Sure, whatever dude. Do whatever you want. I'm here to watch football. Leave if you're not here to do the same. This isn't the place for political debates. There's sports banners surrounding us, not elephants and donkeys.
Another fan, who's ironically wearing a Marshawn Lynch jersey, says the same thing about potentially not watching football because of the protests.
I think the message has been lost in translation.
No one is protesting the troops. They aren't disrespecting your flag.
Colin Kaepernick wanted a way to protest how African-Americans and other minorities are treated in this country.
Being an NFL player, his protest was going to be noticed so it was a way to express himself to the masses.
Other athletes have followed since, and has grown to entire teams doing various demonstrations prior to games.
Taking a knee, locking arms, forming a circle near the bench, even staying in the locker room have been done.
Whatever they want to do, just let them be.
This topic is dividing us. We're all football fans. It's supposed to bring us together. Now it's separating us.
There's the group that'll stop watching football. Fine, let them find something else to do each Sunday. There's the group that says they will, but actually won't. Then there's the group that just wants all this noise to go away. I'm in the latter.
Cheering should be the only noise when the game's on.
Protesting is a freedom we have, even if it's during the anthem. I guess our freedoms should only be used when it's in a favorable way.
So, if you want to protest football because the players are protesting during the anthem, you have that right just like the players do. Don't watch football. You won't be missed, because at least I'll be able to watch in peace.