So I guess it really is all just a matter of perception.
Which begs the question... do you actually care at all about anything that matters to someone else?
We want to be entertained, we don't want a civics lesson during our football games.
But sometimes, these are the prices we have to pay for free entertainment.
No one forces you to sit down on a Monday night to watch a football game.
When it's "America's Team", in a crucial, early-season game coming off a particularly stinging loss, you know there's going to be a lot of eyes.
And apparently there were, not just for the game in which the Dallas Cowboys beat the Arizona Cardinals 28-17, but also for the pregame ceremonies, which included the entire Cowboys roster, including head coach Jason Garrett and owner Jerry Jones, taking a knee in a show of unity prior to the playing of the national anthem.
Reaction was swift, and most of it was hostile.
A check of social media commentary went a little like this: "I have already started my boycott and will not watch anymore spoiled overpaid athletes disrespect my country, If they dont like it in the US find another country to live in. And also take the ones who support your arrogant actions with you!"
And that wasn't all.... "Players get paid to PLAY FOOTBALL on Sunday. I pay to watch them PLAY FOOTBALL on Sunday. Protest on your own time. My work place has rules so should theirs. Call for a National boycott of the NFL for Sunday November 12th, Veterans Day Weekend. Boycott all football telecast, all fans, all ticket holders, stay away from attending any games, let them play to empty stadiums."
First, let me suggest that virtually NO ONE will miss a game or two this season. And you can't blame or hold the league accountable for your decision to pay for a broadcast of the NFL's product. In spite of the contrarian talk, neither commissioner Roger Goodell nor any front office type of an NFL team has their hand jammed inside your wallet.
You make choices on what entertains you. Not the manner in which these people behave outside the process.
And it is interesting what infuriates us about professional athletes. It seems a number of you are very concerned about public perception, about showing respect, about paying tribute, and about being honorable citizens.
Do those same characteristics -- respect, tribute and honor -- also apply to the relationships between these men and the women in their lives?
Because some (clearly not all, not even a large number) are lacking in the fundamentals that make up for decency, common sense and accountability for one's actions.
Maybe the problem isn't the public perception one takes away from a group of men wanting to be shown some respect. Maybe the problem isn't the lack of respect supposedly being shown to the fans who are viewing the product.
Maybe we just don't give a damn about respect towards certain people, until it comes into contact with us.
I read somewhere that the anthem tributes this past weekend were a "slap in the face" to the men and women of our country.
Which is an interesting analogy, since I didn't see nearly this much backlash from people wanting integrity, decency, respect and honor when a number of football players were literally slapping women across the face -- and have been charged and convicted for doing much worse -- for a lot longer period of time.
I guess I'm just not interested in hearing people talk about boycotts.
Simply put, I just don't believe many of you will actually go through with anything remotely resembling a walkout, a boycott, or anything more damaging than a simple shaking of your head and a few grumbling comments on social media or in the comfort of your home between commercial breaks of another game on a Sunday afternoon.
Boycotting a product requires time and effort. It requires a sacrifice that too many people simply refuse to be a part of, no matter how much they claim the cause is worthy of the backlash.
And hey, to all the fans of "America's Team", here's a question for you. If the Cowboys keep on winning, how long would you really stay away?
Honestly.
Aaron Judge is the new rookie home run king.
That was number 50 for the phenom of the New York Yankees yesterday.
Pretty impressive stuff indeed.
It seems pretty likely that Judge will be named Rookie of the Year for the American League.
Can't say he necessarily gets the league's Most Valuable Player award, but those awards may well be forthcoming.
On a personal note.... I've been covering horse racing a long time.
Nearly 30 years, by my count.
I was writing about horse racing, talking about horse racing, romanticizing the sport and longing to be a part of it since my teenage years.
Yesterday was a very cool day.
BORTSTEIN, a 2-year-old gelding, trained by Justin Evans and ridden by Jorge Carreno, broke his maiden yesterday at Zia Park in Hobbs, New Mexico.
His connections named him after me, and maybe even for the legacy and passion for the sport instilled in me by my late father, Larry.
He'd have liked this horse.
He's fast, but not regal. His bloodlines aren't the type you'd expect to find making headlines.
My dad was a fan of the underdog, the rags-to-riches storylines, the up-and-comers who make their headlines quietly and behind the scenes.
Don't get me wrong.... My ambitions and dreams for the horse are out of this world!
But I'm content with staying grounded. Win some races, get some thrills for everyone involved, have some fun with the racehorse.
And maybe I'll get the chance to actually cover a stakes race about a horse named after two people who cared a lot about racing, the passion of the sport and the dignity of a profession that has taken more than a few blows to the body.
That's all.