Supporting AR Women's Basketball
Donation protected
We need your help and support. On Thursday night, November 3, 2016, six members of the Razorback women's basketball team kneeled during the playing of the National Anthem before an exhibition game in Fayetteville, AR. Immediately the angry responses flooded in with threats of physical harm, nasty comments about what they can do while on their knees and even threats of university funding cuts by some state legislators.
My Name is Edwin Strickland and I live in Springdale, AR. I am a loyal and dedicated fan of Arkansas Womens Basketball. We are rasing money to buy tickets to go to the game on Nov 13, 2016. We will give away the tickets for free to anyone who wants to attedn and support the LadyBacks as they continue to excerise their First Amendment Right to Free Speech. We will go to the University of Arkansas ticket office and buy the tickets and hand them out as the people arrive to support that Lady Razorback Basketball team. We have a Faebook Page where people can indicate that they will be attending the game.
To show support for these brave women we want to put 1,000 or more people in the seats at their game on Sunday, November 13, 2016. Many people have spoken of pulling their support from the team or the University as a whole. Tickets to the Women's Basketball games are only $5 each. We are asking you to help us raise the money to buy 1,000 tickets to be given out to people who are willing to go to the game on Sunday, November 13th and show these you women that we support their right to excerise their First Amendment Rights.
Their Head Coach is supporting them. He stated "We have had tremendous dialogue as a staff with them over the last couple of weeks and even before that individually. I met with them as a group this week on a couple of occasions. They had very, very strong, well-informed, educated opinions based on their real-life experiences, their real-life emotions. I am very, very proud of them. They know I have their back 100 percent. Because we do live in a country that is the land of the free and the home of the brave. I know we spent a lot of time visiting with them, and they understood everything that is going into this evening."
The UofA Athletic Director has also shown his support. He said "In this country, we value everyone's right to voice their opinions and views. University campuses are places of learning and thus places where differences of opinion and varying perspectives are recognized. We respect the rights of our student-athletes and all individuals to express themselves on important issues in our nation."
I probably need not tell you that the majority of Hog nation seemed to disagree and came out with hateful things to say about these young ladies and their families. We want to show they that we support them and will be there at their game to support them.
All funds raised will be used to buy tickets to the Womens Basketball game(s) to show them that when you stand up for whats right - others will be there with you.
As I close, we ask for you help and we ask you to consider this ... Is there anything more un-American than saying retribution should be taken against a public university for failing to stifle unpopular speech by its students? Does the 1st Amendment allow a public institution to prescribe acceptable speech? The U.S. Supreme Court has spoken eloquently on this subject, from protecting those who refused to take an oath during World War II to Antonin Scalia on the perils of criminalizing flag burning. Deplore it. Criticize it. But punish it? That's NOT American at all.
Scott Faldon, the former Fort Smith sportswriter, commented trenchantly on Twitter that many of the fans now planning to "boycott" women's basketball probably couldn't name a single player. He also wondered how many of the critics would have supported six players who took the court wearing Make America Great Again caps.
Help by giving what you can but lets raise this $5,000 to show them that American is Already Great!
My Name is Edwin Strickland and I live in Springdale, AR. I am a loyal and dedicated fan of Arkansas Womens Basketball. We are rasing money to buy tickets to go to the game on Nov 13, 2016. We will give away the tickets for free to anyone who wants to attedn and support the LadyBacks as they continue to excerise their First Amendment Right to Free Speech. We will go to the University of Arkansas ticket office and buy the tickets and hand them out as the people arrive to support that Lady Razorback Basketball team. We have a Faebook Page where people can indicate that they will be attending the game.
To show support for these brave women we want to put 1,000 or more people in the seats at their game on Sunday, November 13, 2016. Many people have spoken of pulling their support from the team or the University as a whole. Tickets to the Women's Basketball games are only $5 each. We are asking you to help us raise the money to buy 1,000 tickets to be given out to people who are willing to go to the game on Sunday, November 13th and show these you women that we support their right to excerise their First Amendment Rights.
Their Head Coach is supporting them. He stated "We have had tremendous dialogue as a staff with them over the last couple of weeks and even before that individually. I met with them as a group this week on a couple of occasions. They had very, very strong, well-informed, educated opinions based on their real-life experiences, their real-life emotions. I am very, very proud of them. They know I have their back 100 percent. Because we do live in a country that is the land of the free and the home of the brave. I know we spent a lot of time visiting with them, and they understood everything that is going into this evening."
The UofA Athletic Director has also shown his support. He said "In this country, we value everyone's right to voice their opinions and views. University campuses are places of learning and thus places where differences of opinion and varying perspectives are recognized. We respect the rights of our student-athletes and all individuals to express themselves on important issues in our nation."
I probably need not tell you that the majority of Hog nation seemed to disagree and came out with hateful things to say about these young ladies and their families. We want to show they that we support them and will be there at their game to support them.
All funds raised will be used to buy tickets to the Womens Basketball game(s) to show them that when you stand up for whats right - others will be there with you.
As I close, we ask for you help and we ask you to consider this ... Is there anything more un-American than saying retribution should be taken against a public university for failing to stifle unpopular speech by its students? Does the 1st Amendment allow a public institution to prescribe acceptable speech? The U.S. Supreme Court has spoken eloquently on this subject, from protecting those who refused to take an oath during World War II to Antonin Scalia on the perils of criminalizing flag burning. Deplore it. Criticize it. But punish it? That's NOT American at all.
Scott Faldon, the former Fort Smith sportswriter, commented trenchantly on Twitter that many of the fans now planning to "boycott" women's basketball probably couldn't name a single player. He also wondered how many of the critics would have supported six players who took the court wearing Make America Great Again caps.
Help by giving what you can but lets raise this $5,000 to show them that American is Already Great!
Organizer
Edwin Strickland
Organizer
Springdale, AR
