Do the players and/or the owners understand?

Understand the real issue that is.  The real issue is that we fans don't like players dissing the US flag and/or the American national anthem.  It irritates us down deep.  I will avoid the more descriptive words for our feelings because they are a little too vulgar for my blog.   And when we fans get irritated, we stop buying game tickets and we stop watching games on TV.  Which is bad for business.   Any fool ought to understand this by now. 
   Apparently there are a bunch of fools out there.  I have heard one bunch  claim that President Trump's disapproval was divisive with the owners.  Nonsense,  the president is just one guy.  It's the masses of football fans who have been turned off to the game that matter.
   Another bunch of fools say dissing the flag and the anthem is free speech.  Maybe it is, but just because speech is free doesn't mean we fans have to like it.  We don't.   That sort of free speech has taken a solid hit on TV viewership.  A little more such free speech and NFL football will be down there with European soccer matches.  And only available on U-Tube.
   Good luck NFL.  Maybe common sense will penetrate before it's too late.  

Dissing pro football gets more coverage than Obamacare repeal

Senator John McCain pretty much torpedoed the latest last ditch attempt to repeal Obamacare.  He said he would not support the current effort at repeal.  He said he disapproved of the procedure used to bring it to the floor.  Didn't say a word about the contents.  This will probably cost the Republicans control of Congress in the 2018 by election.   Given majorities in both houses of Congress, and the presidency, the stupid party is unable to get their members to vote out Obamacare.  We voters are noticing.  We will remember in November.
  And then Trump disses some pro football players for remaining seated while the national anthem is sung.  Wow.  TV has been talking about nothing else since.  The NFL and it's commissioner have come out four square for letting the players do what ever they like.   Most of us citizens recognize the player's rights of free speech, but free speech doesn't mean we have like what they say.  We would happily boil those football players in oil for what they have said.  But, this red meat issue, abet low importance issue, has completely overshadowed  the really important issue of repealing Obamacare which is impoverishing every one, and wrecking the economy as a side effect.