Football and Patriotism

When the National Football League season kicks off this month, much of the focus will be on what happens before the actual games, when “The Star-Spangled Banner” is played. Will some players kneel or stay in the locker room as a protest?

In May, N.F.L. owners approved a new policy that requires players to stand and “show respect for the flag” if they choose to go out onto the field during the national anthem—or to remain in the locker room until the song is over. Players who don’t comply could face punishment, and their team could be fined.

The new rule comes nearly two years after Colin Kaepernick, then a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, sparked a nationwide debate by kneeling on the sidelines during the anthem. The protest, he said, was meant to call attention to police brutality against African-Americans and other racial injustices. Before long, several players across the N.F.L. began sitting, kneeling, or raising a fist during the anthem.

The National Football League season kicks off this month. But much of the focus will be on what happens before the actual games. That’s when “The Star-Spangled Banner” is played. Will some players kneel or stay in the locker room as a protest?

In May, N.F.L. owners approved a new policy. It requires players to stand and “show respect for the flag” if they choose to go out onto the field during the national anthem. Those who don’t want to must remain in the locker room until the song is over. Players who don’t comply could face punishment, and their team could be fined.

The new rule comes nearly two years after Colin Kaepernick, then a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, sparked a nationwide debate by kneeling on the sidelines during the anthem. The protest, he said, was meant to call attention to police brutality against African-Americans and other racial injustices. Before long, several players across the N.F.L. began sitting, kneeling, or raising a fist during the anthem.

Many people, including President Trump, object to such protests, which they view as unpatriotic and disrespectful to the military. Trump has said that any player who doesn’t stand for the anthem should be fired, and “maybe you shouldn’t be in the country.” He has also urged fans to boycott the N.F.L., the country’s most popular—and profitable—sports league.

In recent months, tensions between the president and the N.F.L. have continued to escalate. In June, Trump disinvited the Philadelphia Eagles to an event at the White House to celebrate their 2018 Super Bowl win. (Most of the team had previously
said they wouldn’t attend, in part because they disagreed with the president’s outspoken stance on the anthem protests.)

Despite outrage from the president, many players and their supporters say that protesting inequality is just as American as displaying the flag or standing for the national anthem.

According to the N.F.L. players’ union, which opposes the new rule, the anthem protests are simply an effort to make the nation more equal: “NFL players love their country, support our troops, give back to their communities, and strive to make America a better place.”

Many people, including President Trump, object to such protests. They view these protests as unpatriotic and disrespectful to the military. Trump has said that any player who doesn’t stand for the anthem should be fired, and “maybe you shouldn’t be in the country.” He has also urged fans to boycott the N.F.L., the country’s most popular and profitable sports league.

In recent months, tensions between the president and the N.F.L. have continued to escalate. In June, Trump disinvited the Philadelphia Eagles to an event at the White House. It was meant to celebrate their 2018 Super Bowl win. Most of the team had previously said they wouldn’t attend. Many of them disagreed with the president’s outspoken stance on the anthem protests.

Despite outrage from the president, many players and their supporters say that protesting inequality is just as American as displaying the flag or standing for the national anthem.

The N.F.L. players’ union opposes the new rule. The union says the anthem protests are simply an effort to make the nation more equal: “NFL players love their country, support our troops, give back to their communities, and strive to make America a better place.”

Francis Scott Key, a lawyer from Maryland, wrote “The Star-Spangled Banner” after witnessing the British attack on Fort McHenry in Baltimore during the War of 1812. The song was originally a poem. It officially became the country’s national anthem in 1931. It’s been performed at sporting events dating back to the 19th century.

Some believe that Americans have such an intense relationship with the anthem and the flag because the U.S. wasn’t created on a common platform of religion or ancestry, unlike many other countries. Instead, Americans are bound by ideas and concepts. For example, we share the belief that all people are created equal. Consequently, something that represents those ideas, like an anthem, can come to seem vitally important. They might even be considered sacred. 

That may be partly why Americans feel so strongly about the current protests. According to a recent Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation poll, 53 percent of Americans say it’s “never appropriate” to kneel during the anthem. Only 42 percent say it’s sometimes appropriate.

Kaepernick has not been signed on an N.F.L. team since the 2016 season. He and the other players who have protested are not the first athletes to be criticized for demonstrating during the anthem. At the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, for example, African-American sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised gloved fists in a “black power” salute while on the medal stand during the playing of the national anthem. They were then thrown out of the Olympics.

Many team owners view the new N.F.L. rule as a compromise. Chicago Bears chairman George McCaskey told reporters: “We think it will return the anthem to what it should be—a unifying force—while providing an option to those players and other team personnel who choose not to stand.”

But many other people see the rule as an attempt to silence players and appease Trump. Many people say the president shouldn’t have gotten involved in the debate in the first place.

“What NFL owners did today was thwart the players’ constitutional rights to express themselves and use our platform to draw attention to social injustices like racial inequality in our country,” Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins wrote in a statement.

However, the N.F.L. is a private entity. So it’s within its legal rights to prohibit players from protesting during games, legal experts say. The First Amendment protects Americans only from the government denying them free speech. Regardless, many people see the N.F.L.’s actions to stifle players’ speech as clashing with American values.

As the season begins, many players, coaches, and fans say they’re eager to put the issue behind them. TV ratings for N.F.L. games fell nearly 10 percent last season, a decrease analysts say is partly related to the anthem protests and the league’s handling of the issue.

Arizona Cardinals president Michael Bidwill told reporters that he hopes fans will pay more attention to the game this season than what’s happening off the field: “I look forward to getting the focus back on football.”

As the season begins, many players, coaches, and fans say they’re eager to put the issue behind them. TV ratings for N.F.L. games fell nearly 10 percent last season. Analysts say the drop is partly related to the anthem protests and the league’s handling of the issue.

Arizona Cardinals president Michael Bidwill told reporters that he hopes fans will pay more attention to the game this season than what’s happening off the field: “I look forward to getting the focus back on football.”