Kneel

Breaking News Getty A college basketball team in Virginia was given two options -- stop kneeling for the national anthem or face suspension ... and the players chose to kneel. NAIA Div. II school Bluefield College was forced to forfeit Thursday's conference matchup with Reinhardt University ... after players involved in national anthem demonstrations were suspended from the team. Here's the deal ... the BC Rams team has been kneeling for the anthem during games in January and February this year ... despite school president David Olive telling them to cut it out. Olive decided to take matters into his own hands by unleashing the punishment this week ... saying, "The basis for my decision stemmed from my own awareness of how kneeling is perceived by some in our country, and I did not think a number of our alumni, friends, and donors of the College would view the act of kneeling during the anthem in a positive way." "Pointing to the already fractured and … [Read more...] about College Hoops Team Forfeits Game After Players Suspended For Anthem Kneeling

The controversy surrounding Super Bowl LIII’s halftime show continues, as Colin Kaepernick’s attorney Mark Geragos called Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine’s rationalization on his participation “a cop out.” Speaking on Good Morning America on Friday, Geragos called on Levine to admit what he’s doing by appearing in the NFL Super Bowl halftime. “If you’re going to cross this idealogical or intellectual picket line, then own it, and Adam Levine certainly isn’t owning it,” Geragos said. “It’s a cop-out when you start talking about, ‘I’m not a politician; I’m just doing the music.’ Most of the musicians who have any kind of consciousness whatsoever understand what’s going on here.” Related Story Endeavor Audio Upfront: Podcasts With Parker Posey, WWE's Corey Graves, Producers Dick Wolf & Adam Levine, More Geragos was responding to comments Levine made on Thursday in an … [Read more...] about Super Bowl LIII Halftime Controversy Continues, As Colin Kaepernick Attorney Attacks Adam Levine

Gladys Knight promised to “unite and represent our country” with her rendition of the national anthem at the Super Bowl. Consider it mission accomplished. The 74-year-old, Grammy-winning singer delivered a powerful, emotional and respectful version of the Star Spangled Banner to her hometown in the prelude to Super Bowl LIII. In a Super Bowl that has been plagued by political controversy swirling around its halftime show, the national anthem drew relatively little pre-game attention, perhaps owing to Knight’s stature as the Empress of Soul. During the song, the cameras avoided showing whether any players were kneeling or doing another form of protest. Both teams are not known for much political action, although a smattering of players on both teams – notably Rams punter Johnny Hekker and New England defensive back Devon McCourtey (one time) have staged minor protests. The US Air Force Thunderbirds capped Knight’s performance, flying overhead in a show of … [Read more...] about Super Bowl LIII National Anthem: Gladys Knight Delivers A Powerful, Controversy-Free Performance

Breaking News TMZ.com Mark Cuban has axed national anthems from the Dallas Mavericks' pregame routines this season ... saying Tuesday night, "It was my decision." Cuban added in a message to the New York Times , "I made it in November." The NBA owner declined to further explain the choice ... but it seems clear, Cuban is preferring to have his team avoid all the controversy that's come with the song's playing over the last few years. You'll recall ... after Colin Kaepernick began kneeling during the NFL's playing of anthems in 2016 to protest police brutality and racial injustice in America -- critics, including Donald Trump , slammed the move as unpatriotic. Trump went so far as to say the NFL should fire any "son of a bitch" who participated in the demonstration. The polarizing kneeling quickly spread to other sports ... and despite the NBA's longstanding stand-for-the-anthem policy, players and coaches alike knelt during the song's … [Read more...] about Mark Cuban Nixes National Anthems From Dallas Mavericks Games, ‘My Decision’

EXCLUSIVE : While 2020 was most everyone’s worst year, you’d be hard pressed to find a filmmaker who got more done than Spike Lee . He’s in the middle of the awards season race with his superb Netflix drama Da 5 Bloods; got raves for the virtual Toronto Film Fest and HBO premieres of American Utopia , based on the live Broadway show by former Talking Heads front man David Byrne; and generated the short films New York, New York and 3 Brothers , the latter of which played on CNN and drew connective tissue between the police custody deaths of George Floyd, Eric Garner and Radio Raheem, latter a fictional character from Lee’s 1989 film Do The Right Thing . Here he reflects on 2021 and the year ahead. DEADLINE: Aside from the Groundhog Day reality most of us are living as we await Covid vaccine distribution, how are you doing? Related Story Remembering Chadwick Boseman: Colleagues Reflect As His Final Performances Generate Oscar Talk SPIKE LEE : … [Read more...] about ‘Da 5 Blood’s Spike Lee On Covid Vaccine, Trump Impeach Trial, Heading 2021 Cannes Jury & What’s Needed To Keep Film Inclusion Wave From Crashing