Amercian Flag on Football Helmets

[Gothamite]

Go ahead, then.  Go for it.

[ScubaSteve]

6 minutes ago, EddieJ1984 said:

We really need someone else to start writing about daily uniform/logo changes.

 

Yeah, the unwarranted sass and forced political views (it's sports people, cmon) are why I only turn my uniform attention to this site now.

[debo0775]

I mean - it is his site to do with what he wants *shrug*

 

On the flag decals, I don't like the faux patriotism that came post-9/11. It's here to stay, unfortunately, but doesn't bring anything to a sense of nationalism/patriotism. It's just another marketing tool (which is fairly disappointing IMO).

[BrandMooreArt]

im more mad about the Warning label on the helmet. talk about an eyesore. i'd love for that to be moved and the flag take it's place in that location

[slats7]

Paul Lukas is a far-left SJW (re: Washington Football Team) who despises any forms of US patriotism at sporting events, including scenes like the one below. In any event, draping football players in pink for an entire month is far more offensive.

 

[Gothamite]

Funny you should mention that - it's all of a kind.  From the pink nonsense to the camo to the flags, it's all as meaningless as it is empty, and it should all be removed from the game.

 

48 minutes ago, BrandMooreArt said:

im more mad about the Warning label on the helmet. talk about an eyesore. i'd love for that to be moved and the flag take it's place in that location

 

I don't see why that can't be eliminated as well.  More pointless and ugly clutter.

[Webfooter]

14 minutes ago, Gothamite said:

Funny you should mention that - it's all of a kind.  From the pink nonsense to the camo to the flags, it's all as meaningless as it is empty, and it should all be removed from the game.

 

 

I don't see why that can't be eliminated as well.  More pointless and ugly clutter.

From what I've heard and read, the warning label has to be on helmets for liability and insurance purposes.  Think of it as the "Warning: hot coffee" label on McDonald's coffee cups, which only showed up after someone burned themself and sued them for not disclosing the potential danger of hot coffee/liquids.

[CreamSoda]

26 minutes ago, Webfooter said:

From what I've heard and read, the warning label has to be on helmets for liability and insurance purposes.  Think of it as the "Warning: hot coffee" label on McDonald's coffee cups, which only showed up after someone burned themself and sued them for not disclosing the potential danger of hot coffee/liquids.

 

so put it on the inside of the helmet...

[Gothamite]

Exactly. That has always been the obvious solution.

[Gold Pinstripes]

4 hours ago, Gothamite said:

Ah, it's just part of the whole "flag belongs to them" thing that I have really come to hate.  The flag doesn't represent cops or soldiers, it represents teachers and postal carriers and factory workers and the unemployed homeless equally.  It represents those of us whose families settled here before the Colonies were free and those of us who got off the plane this morning.  All of us equally.

 

And I say this as someone who was not only "based in New York during 9/11", but who watched it happen in person and lost friends on that morning.  For what it's worth, which is absolutely nothing.

 

Besides, the real "reason we can take vacations and work in relative safety" lies in our heavily-unionized past, but that somehow hasn't managed to make anybody equate patriotism with membership in a trade guild.

Teachers and postal carriers have important jobs, but the first responders often make larger sacrifices. The disconnect to me is really weird, as if the flag decal is on the front of the helmet. To me, it's a simple gesture of pride. It seems odd to have someone based in New York bring up the removal of the flag decal, as if it's annoying, or somehow inconvenient. If someone is uncomfortable with the flag due to their political beliefs, so be it, but the suggestion to remove the decal at this time seems misguided.        

[hormone]

Me personally, I think when you flag or pink it up so much, it loses the meaning. I teach hs and kids wear pink or camo cause it's cool rather than wear pink to donate proceeds to cancer. I wore a pink cancer hoodie around thanksgiving and had a kid ask me why I'm doing it cause it wasn't October. I said I'm wearing it to support a friend and to show everyone that I care.  It didn't matter to me, but the kid thought I was uncool.

 

Im actually surprised Kap hasn't removed his decal unless that somehow alters his uniform.

[Gothamite]

3 hours ago, Gold Pinstripes said:

Teachers and postal carriers have important jobs, but the first responders often make larger sacrifices. The disconnect to me is really weird, as if the flag decal is on the front of the helmet. To me, it's a simple gesture of pride. It seems odd to have someone based in New York bring up the removal of the flag decal, as if it's annoying, or somehow inconvenient. If someone is uncomfortable with the flag due to their political beliefs, so be it, but the suggestion to remove the decal at this time seems misguided.        

 

Why?

 

I don't know what you mean about annoying or inconvenient.  I personally think it's ugly on the helmets, needless clutter.  I also believe it's an empty and cynical gesture on behalf of the league, not to mention extremely disrespectful and unpatriotic.  But I'm happy to stick with "ugly and cluttering", as it is the most appropriate argument for this site. 

 

Still don't know why you introduced geography into it.  Is his opinion somehow less valid because of his ZIP code?

[Gold Pinstripes]

10 minutes ago, Gothamite said:

 

Why?

 

I don't know what you mean about annoying or inconvenient.  I personally think it's ugly on the helmets, needless clutter.  I also believe it's an empty and cynical gesture on behalf of the league, not to mention extremely disrespectful and unpatriotic.  But I'm happy to stick with "ugly and cluttering", as it is the most appropriate argument for this site. 

 

Still don't know why you introduced geography into it.  Is his opinion somehow less valid because of his ZIP code?

Geography happens to count since the author was in the epicenter of the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil. 15 years in that context, must seem even shorter to those so close, and it seems odd to come to the conclusion of removing the decal. Since the decal is so small, I never had the sense it was anything more than a classy gesture. If the author is tired of the decal, it would be interesting to hear cogent reasons why. But I get the feeling we'll get more photos of food before that happens. And with with the well-publicized issues, I think the NFL has been a positive entity.    

[Gothamite]

 

22 minutes ago, Gold Pinstripes said:

Geography happens to count since the author was in the epicenter of the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil. 15 years in that context, must seem even shorter to those so close, and it seems odd to come to the conclusion of removing the decal. Since the decal is so small, I never had the sense it was anything more than a classy gesture. If the author is tired of the decal, it would be interesting to hear cogent reasons why. But I get the feeling we'll get more photos of food before that happens. And with with the well-publicized issues, I think the NFL has been a positive entity.    

 

Obviously, you and I will have to agree to disagree.  

[debo0775]

8 hours ago, Gothamite said:

Exactly. That has always been the obvious solution.

 

There's not a lot of visible real estate inside a shell - I'd imagine that's why a label is on the exterior.

 

Every helmet I had when playing football had a level of redundancy with the warning in that both a label was placed and there was a raised, molded warning usually in a similar location that labels are placed.

 

For my HS, the label addition was a bit of a pokeyoke to ensure that that helmet was actually reconditioned in the offseason. For pros, it would make more sense (IMO) to have it molded into the shell in a similar spot and just to buy a new helmet every season for every player (which is likely happening a large % of the time anyway).

 

That said, good luck removing the warning with all of the CTE and other health-based lawsuits the league faces.

[ColeJ]

it's always bothered me that most gung-ho patriotic people i know are the ones that are so willing to violate the flag code in so many obvious ways.

 

you're not supposed to wear the american flag unless its part of a military or first responder uniform.

 

specifically:

• The flag should not be used as part of a costume or athletic uniform, except that a flag patch may be used on the uniform of military personnel, firefighters, police officers, and members of patriotic organizations.

 

i like to think i'm patriotic in a pretty balanced and unbiased sense. i recognize the good and the bad, and all that jazz... but i don't like all the forced patriotism, singing of the national anthem, paid advertisement "hero of the game" standing ovations that the government puts on... but that's not even really part of this argument.

 

the argument here is that wearing american flag decals on NFL helmets is actually the antithesis of patriotism, if you consider honoring our flag via the flag code to be a patriotic endeavor. 

 

 

 

 

as far as moving the warning sticks to the inside of the helmet, is that feasible? i would imagine those stickers wouldn't last one training camp with all the humidity and sweat circulating around those buckets. i've never played football, but i can't imagine a sticker lasting very long inside my hockey helmet's ecosystem.

[Discrim]

16 hours ago, stumpygremlin said:

The flag is here to stay. They were put on the helmets after 9/11. I can only imagine the outcry of un-Americanism if you take them off.

Earlier than that, actually...IIRC the league had them put on the Bills and Giants' helmets for Super Bowl XXV (during the Gulf War) and has had the whole league wearing flag decals since.  I don't mind their presence, but I'd be cool with removing them (even though you're on the money, there'd be an outcry of whoever removed their flags as being un-American...maybe the Bears should replace theirs with Chicago flags and hope non-Chicagoans don't notice)

 

3 hours ago, ColeJ said:

as far as moving the warning sticks to the inside of the helmet, is that feasible? i would imagine those stickers wouldn't last one training camp with all the humidity and sweat circulating around those buckets. i've never played football, but i can't imagine a sticker lasting very long inside my hockey helmet's ecosystem.

It's been a long time since I touched a helmet, but IIRC, you'd be right, it's not feasible.  Granted, the decals on the exterior sometimes don't last long either, especially below the college level (granted hockey decals are much smaller, but I've never seen a hockey helmet with decals practically shredded the way I've seen on some football helmets...my first two years in high school, our helmets had wings, and one of my friends, I think by game 3 or 4 his wings were busted up to all hell)

[Old School Fool]

I think teams should use state/city flags instead. It would be really cool.

[Ben5]

7 hours ago, ColeJ said:

it's always bothered me that most gung-ho patriotic people i know are the ones that are so willing to violate the flag code in so many obvious ways.

 

you're not supposed to wear the american flag unless its part of a military or first responder uniform.

 

...

 

as far as moving the warning sticks to the inside of the helmet, is that feasible? i would imagine those stickers wouldn't last one training camp with all the humidity and sweat circulating around those buckets. i've never played football, but i can't imagine a sticker lasting very long inside my hockey helmet's ecosystem.

 

 

You are spot on with the flag code. It says don't do it, so don't do it.

 

You could put the warning decal on the inside. Teams will put a number decal on the inside of the helmet and those stay.

[johnnysama]

8 hours ago, ColeJ said:

it's always bothered me that most gung-ho patriotic people i know are the ones that are so willing to violate the flag code in so many obvious ways.

 

you're not supposed to wear the american flag unless its part of a military or first responder uniform.

 

specifically:

• The flag should not be used as part of a costume or athletic uniform, except that a flag patch may be used on the uniform of military personnel, firefighters, police officers, and members of patriotic organizations.

 

i like to think i'm patriotic in a pretty balanced and unbiased sense. i recognize the good and the bad, and all that jazz... but i don't like all the forced patriotism, singing of the national anthem, paid advertisement "hero of the game" standing ovations that the government puts on... but that's not even really part of this argument.

 

the argument here is that wearing american flag decals on NFL helmets is actually the antithesis of patriotism, if you consider honoring our flag via the flag code to be a patriotic endeavor. 

 

 

 

 

as far as moving the warning sticks to the inside of the helmet, is that feasible? i would imagine those stickers wouldn't last one training camp with all the humidity and sweat circulating around those buckets. i've never played football, but i can't imagine a sticker lasting very long inside my hockey helmet's ecosystem.

So the NFL has technically been violating the flag code for quite a while now.

 

This raises one small Q about that part of the flag code: By 'patriotic organizations', they mean....?