Although the NFL put out a policy of no kneeling for the national anthem this week — pleasing millions of patriotic Americans — the battle over showing respect for the American flag, our veterans, and our nation is far from over.
Players who don’t want to stand for the flag can now stay behind in the locker room to avoid kneeling on the field (although some people have an issue with that). But some leftists seem to be trying to figure out what their next move will be to irk pro-American football fans.
Even if NFL players don’t kneel for “The Star-Spangled Banner,” they may be coming up with a different form of political protest this season, according to Craig Melvin of NBC.
“Here’s the thing: This isn’t over,” he said on Thursday. “I think the league probably thought [on Wednesday] that this would be a decision that would put it to rest. I talked to a former NFL player yesterday who said players are already talking about other ways [to] protest.”
The New York Times editorial board actually offered up a suggestion for how teams should protest now and make political statements. Instead of reporting on the news or sharing commentary, the left-leaning publication seems to be trying to give NFL players new ideas: It suggested that players raise black-gloved fists in the air — which would also pay homage to the militant Black Panther party.
It’s also possible there may be some kneelers still. New York Jets CEO Chris Johnson said he would cover any fines his players were given if they knelt for the anthem. It’s unclear if other owners will follow suit.
Even if leftists are unhappy with the new mandate for respect to the flag, President Donald Trump praised the decision on “Fox & Friends” Thursday morning.
“You have to stand proudly for the national anthem, or you shouldn’t be playing,” he said. “You shouldn’t be there. Maybe you shouldn’t be in the country. You have to stand proudly for the national anthem. And the NFL owners did the right thing if that’s what they’ve done.”
On Thursday night, Fox News host Laura Ingraham explained on “The Ingraham Angle” why owners have the right to do this.
“When you’re in the NFL, you’re subject to the rules set by the owners,” she said. “The owners write the rules. The players association has a say, but the rules of the game are the rules of the game. They were getting tired of the lower attendance and public upset because of this.”
In addition to its 15 percent drop in TV ratings over the past two seasons, the league also lost roughly $23 million in ticket sales alone as fans made other plans while anthem protests heated up last season.
Retired NFL safety Burgess Owens said on “The Ingraham Angle” that he thinks the NFL doesn’t care much about respect for the American flag because it wants to expand internationally in the future.
“It takes a lot of hard work to build up a brand like the NFL has over the past 60 years and then to destroy it in two years,” he said. “It’s either based on total incompetence or it’s done on purpose, and I think it’s done on purpose. They’ve got a commissioner who takes $40 million per year. We’re talking about an elitist globalist. The NFL does not mind this chaos. They don’t mind disrespecting the American flag because they’re looking to go international. They’re looking at China, France and Germany.”
Related: It’s Official: No More National Anthem Kneeling in the NFL
Democratic strategist Antjuan Seawright, also a guest on the program Thursday night, was critical of Trump’s viewpoint. “Instead of being president of the United States, he wants to tell NFL players what to do and how they should do their jobs,” he said.
Ingraham pointed out that “control” is not why people want players to stand for the anthem.
“We all want things to be better,” she said, speaking about helping the black community. “We all want people to have jobs. We want families to stick together. We want police to respect everyone. Not a lot of this is going to be solved by taking a knee or wearing a black armband.”
Tom Joyce is a freelance writer from the South Shore of Massachusetts. He covers sports, pop culture, and politics and has contributed to The Federalist, Newsday, ESPN, and other outlets.
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