But there’s one group of pro athletes who are vowing to stand at attention during the playing of the “Star-Spangled Banner.” They’re the cowboys of Professional Bull Riders (PBR).
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Sean Gleason, chief executive of PBR, wrote on the league’s Facebook page Wednesday that all 35 of the top bull riders in PBR’s Built Ford Tough series have pledged to respectfully stand in unity during the presentation of the American flag and singing of the national anthem. Within 12 hours the post generated nearly 3,000 shares, and more than 300 comments.
The move was organized by Shorty Gorham, a PBR cowboy who distracts the 2,000-pound bulls when the riders dismount. Gorham began discussing it with other cowboys in the locker room. He and the other cowboys decided the national anthem was not the right time or place for social or political protest. Then they took the idea to PBR.
The cowboys of PBR were already standing at attention for the flag/anthem before Kaepernick took a knee. The pledge was created as a pro-active gesture to encourage others to salute the flag/anthem. While the pledge doesn’t mention Kaepernick, it’s clearly a reaction to the growing movement sparked by the 49ers backup quarterback over the last four weeks.
So is this a counter-protest to Kaepernick’s protest?
“Shorty made it clear he is not against social protest. He totally supports free expression,” PBR spokesman Andrew Giangola said. “He simply said he feels the national anthem is not the time or place to promote an agenda. It’s a time to come together in unity and mutual respect.”
Colin Kaepernick kneels during the national anthem. (Getty)
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PBR bull riders hailing from Brazil, Mexico, Canada and New Zealand also signed the pledge which reads:
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Gleason applauded the move. He wrote on Facebook:
Gleason means what he says.
When the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C., refused to allow uniformed members of a Border Patrol honor guard entrance into the building because they were carrying firearms several weeks ago, he threatened to cancel the event on the spot.
There was no way uniformed U.S. law enforcement agents were going to surrender their firearms to arena security guards because some politically correct manager didn’t like like guns. Eventually a compromise was reached — and the show went on after a delay.
Similar to NASCAR, PBR holds a devotional prayer before every event which honors and thanks members of the U.S. military.
PBR cowboys pray before an event. (Getty)
“PBR, its athletes, and fans are unapologetically patriotic,” added Giangola. “You saw that in PBR standing by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (honor guard) when they were prohibited from entering an arena, and again in the pledge taken by the sport’s cowboys to stand united for the presentation of the American flag and singing of our national anthem.”
On Facebook, some fans contrasted PBR’s stance with that of the NFL.
“Boycotting the NFL. Went to my first PBR event last week and loved it,” wrote Edward Desjardin. “One of the things I loved was the respect shown by the riders for the anthem and invocation. I would stand for the Brazilian, Mexican, Canadian, Australian and New Zealander anthems. It’s about common respect. Thanks for this PBR, you have a new fan!”
