Roger Goodell and Jerry Jones play Trump politics
Anyone who has been to a sporting event knows the pregame ritual: buy popcorn, find your seat, and stand for the national anthem.
Colin Kaepernick, a now-free-agent quarterback in the National Football League (NFL), disrupted that ritual last year when he knelt for the anthem to protest police brutality.
This NFL season more athletes are joining in, capturing attention globally. However, with this newfound momentum, the purpose of the protest may have been lost.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has hesitantly stood behind his players’ right to free speech. However, he too is missing the point of the protest. He, like many other critics of the protest, claim kneeling for the national anthem is disrespecting veterans, the flag, and the country.
If the issue were patriotism, we should know the U.S. “Flag Code” mandates that the flag is not to be used for advertising purposes. Yet no one complains that shopping bags, t-shirts, and cowboy hats feature the Star-Spangled Banner.
The president of the United States, Donald Trump, has also become increasingly concerned with what he calls a lack of patriotism among professional athletes. He has begun pressuring the NFL to reprimand players for kneeling during the anthem, most notably Dallas Cowboys’ owner and general manager Jerry Jones.
Jones was arm in arm with his team to promote unity last week, but has recently come out with a statement barring Dallas players from kneeling during the anthem, noting a suspension as punishment if one kneels.
Trump voiced his support on Twitter, exclaiming “Stand for Anthem or sit for game!”
On the field, the NFL Game Operations Manual states that it is expected players stand on the sideline for the national anthem. Failure to do so may result in disciplinary actions. However, the NFL has openly stated that they do not plan to penalize players over anthem protests.
A big salute to Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys, who will BENCH players who disrespect our Flag."Stand for Anthem or sit for game!"
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 10, 2017
Off the field, NFL players have a public image to uphold as part of their jobs, meaning the league has some power to dictate their choices. This creates a substantial grey area for the National Labor Relations Board. As a result of this, someone has yet to blow the whistle on an owner threatening to penalize athletes for trying to improve the relationship between law enforcement and African Americans.
With the issue of equality only continuing to grow, one must hope we can unify with the common goal of acceptance and respect — just as Kaepernick intended.
Photo courtesy of BBC Sports
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