The "bandwagon effect" fallacy makes people say and do stupid things. People will give up their core beliefs and their morals to go along with the crowd. They often give into peer pressure. This was put into practice last weekend in the NFL when players embarrassed our nation by disrespecting the Flag and our National Anthem by kneeling in protest over a cause that they significantly misunderstood and twisted around because the liberal media and the NFL office led by liberal Commissioner Roger Goodell and some of the NFL owners like Robert Kraft publicly released a false narrative that purposely misconstrued President Trump's remarks and maligned his character.
Many players like New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady who always avoided political talk and never took a political stance publicly went along with their team and either knelt or locked arms and made political statements against President Trump when they vowed throughout their careers that they have nothing to say politically but that they are professional athletes and will only answer questions related to their team and especially games.
The "bandwagon effect" was put into practice even amongst players like Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Alejandro Villanueva who took a stand by respecting the Flag and the National Anthem before the Steelers-Bears game but has since backpedaled because of media scrutiny and pressure from the head coach. Threats were probably made against him from the top when it comes to possible fines and the possibility of contract talks becoming difficult in the future.
Why would he backpedal when he has support from some of his teammates? His starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger stated that he wish he had stood with Villanueva. He also stated that the anthem is not a time to show disrespect or to make a political statement. He said,
"I personally don't believe the anthem is ever the time to make any type of protest," Roethlisberger said. "For me, and many others on my team and around the league, it is a tribute to those who commit to serve and protect our country, current and past, especially the ones that made the ultimate sacrifice."
(Source: http://cbsprt.co/2fOoJ9c )
(Source: http://cbsprt.co/2fOoJ9c )
These poor folks are also guilty of the "red herring" fallacy. They avoid or put a spin on the fact that this issue is really about disrespecting the Flag and the National Anthem when they hide behind the "freedom of speech"/"freedom of expression" argument. They do not talk at all about the fact that the one and only person who started this controversy (Colin Kaepernick) turned anti-American through the influence of his Muslim girlfriend. He was simply an NFL starting quarterback prior to meeting her but then he turned radical and now he is without a job in the NFL. The NFL defended an unemployed NFL player and his beliefs but they refused to sign him this season for his controversial stance including his disrespectful attitude against our Flag and National Anthem.
This boils down also to the fallacy called "political grandstanding". The NFL sought to win approval and applause from the dominant mainstream liberal media and their liberal friends in political office. It was a disgusting and un-American move on their part and for current NFL players and former NFL players including Tom Brady to defend the NFL for what they did over the weekend means that this country is in dire need of a revival of patriotism and the restoration of traditional values that it once stood for including morals, respect, honesty, and integrity.
