NFL got it wrong with the new anthem rule
The NFL made its position on peaceful protests clear with the new anthem rule, kowtowing to a fan base that didn’t understand the message.
The NFL is a billion dollar industry with fans all across the world. It is a major influencing in throughout the sports and entertainment industry. This is why the decision to implement a rule that penalizes players and teams for the act of kneeling during the playing of the national anthem has been met with widespread criticism. This is a major misstep and in all regards the league flat out got the decision wrong.
Last week, it was revealed that a new rule will be in place at the start of the 2018 season that requires players to stand if they are on the field for the anthem. This rule does give the option to stay in the locker room if they choose, but if any player or member of the organization fails to show “respect” for the anthem then the team will be penalized and fined.
This is the culmination of the actions started by free-agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick when he started to kneel during the playing of the anthem. He did so to draw attention to social ills such as police brutality and rampant poverty that has run amok in minority communities throughout the country. Other players throughout the league and even in other sports began to take heed and the same action.
The response to this simple protest was swift and filled with anger. Talking heads across sports and politics blasted Kaepernick and other players, claiming they were disrespectful to police, military and other aspects of America that the anthem represents to them. Instead of listening to the issues that were at the center of the protest, individuals took it upon themselves to put their own meaning behind the protest and then accost the players for it. The worst of which was when President Donald Trump called the players “sons of [expletive],” and called for them to be fired.
That brings us to the situation now: a room full of Caucasian owners making a decision that impacts the message and voices of the widely minority player-base within the league. Even as more details of the apparent “vote” come out, this really seems like a situation that is marred in controversy.
Even worse, it calls into question the reasoning why the NFL promised to support social issues such as criminal justice. Did they do so simply as an action to silence the players? Why didn’t the owners take into account the thoughts or feelings of any players before making the sweeping decision?
Either way those questions are answered, there’s something inherently wrong about this new rule. It’s clear that the league is attempting to appease the outcry of fans who did not like the moves and messages that players were pushing. Some polls showed that weekly viewership for the league was dropping and some attributed that to the issue with players. With all of the problems going on within the league, it’s interesting that the NFL decided to address the peaceful protests instead of the issues with concussions, domestic violence and owners being accused of sexual and racial misconduct.
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It will be interesting to see how players and fans from minority communities respond to this new rule. Whether any one wants to admit it or not, the message here was clear: The NFL doesn’t care about the problems going on in the communities where our players come from. In fact, the league took a step to silence those players from drawing attention to those problems. No matter any way that is reviewed, this was an upsetting mistake at the hands of the league.