Your premise is highly flawed. I don't stand up if the national anthem is played on TV, just like I don't say hello to a photograph of my mother when I walk by it, and I don't talk to myself in the mirror-it's a visualization of something, not the actual event. If I'm at the event, I'm on my feet.
The professional athletes kneeling and those defending it are unpatriotic. If it started with inner city high school football players, it would be one thing, because they don't have a voice and a broad stance to make a statement about the world they are living in. Pro athletes are on television constantly, have interviews for newspapers and other media outlets, and have the cash to buy advertising to support any cause they choose. They could also wear clothing or hold up signs with their message on it. They would be fined, but isn't that a small price to pay to spread your message across to millions of people, if it is really about the message?
The sad fact is, there is very little real patriotism anymore. If you are proud of your country, you are still proud of it despite its flaws, and would have the pride to stand for the anthem. If you are not willing to stand for the anthem of this country, you are disrespecting all of those who for for the creation of this country, and those who shaped it and made it what it is today.
The professional athletes kneeling and those defending it are unpatriotic. If it started with inner city high school football players, it would be one thing, because they don't have a voice and a broad stance to make a statement about the world they are living in. Pro athletes are on television constantly, have interviews for newspapers and other media outlets, and have the cash to buy advertising to support any cause they choose. They could also wear clothing or hold up signs with their message on it. They would be fined, but isn't that a small price to pay to spread your message across to millions of people, if it is really about the message?
The sad fact is, there is very little real patriotism anymore. If you are proud of your country, you are still proud of it despite its flaws, and would have the pride to stand for the anthem. If you are not willing to stand for the anthem of this country, you are disrespecting all of those who for for the creation of this country, and those who shaped it and made it what it is today.