The National Football League announced Wednesday it plans to fine players who take a knee or show any type of protest during the playing of the national anthem before games.
Last season, a number of football players across the league chose to protest police brutality and racial inequality while the anthem played, following the example of ex-San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who started kneeling during the Star-Spangled Banner in August 2016.
The protests have drawn the ire of many football fans across the country – and President Donald Trump, who applauded the NFL’s new rule Thursday. But many people – from NFL players and owners to those who don’t even follow sports – feel it’s unfair, unlawful, and un-American for the league to force behavior upon its players.
The NFL isn’t the first sports body to enact rules about players’ conduct during the national anthem, specifically with regard to protesting.
In March 2017, U.S. Soccer approved New Policy 604-1, which states: “All persons representing a Federation national team shall stand respectfully during the playing of the national anthems at any event in which the Federation in represented.”
U.S. Soccer’s policy didn’t specify a punishment for failing to do otherwise, as is the case with the NFL’s recent ruling. The U.S. Soccer policy also doesn’t affect the NFL’s soccer counterpart, Major League Soccer, which said in September 2017 it would continue to “respect and support” its players’ choices.
The dichotomy in stances between the U.S. Soccer Federation and MLS isn’t completely surprising. In soccer, players compete for club and country. Though some NFL players have continued to protest during the anthem while playing overseas, it’s not the equivalent of a U.S. national team player competing for the flag.
When U.S. women’s national team midfielder Megan Rapinoe — World Cup winner, LGBTQ activist and sport icon — kneeled during the anthem in solidarity with Kaepernick before a 2016 friendly against Thailand, the debate elevated to a global level.
After the passage of 604-1, Rapinoe discontinued her protests.
Later that September, the MLS Players Union said it supported players’ rights to protest, even though no MLS players have protested as of yet.
Pregame ceremonies in sports leagues across the country are a sort of dog and pony show.
Fans settle into their seats. There’s usually some sort of gimmick on the field/court/ice involving a special guest or member of the crowd. Then the announcer screams the starting lineups with gusto over the loudspeaker. Someone sings the national anthem. In football and soccer, there’s a coin toss to determine first possession.
And then the game begins.
Sports and patriotism have been intertwined in this country for decades. But people are paying attention now more than ever, regardless of the sport, and politicization of the issue continues.
U.S. Soccer got ahead of the game by enacting 604-1. And the federation has been fortunate more Rapinoes and Kaepernicks haven’t popped up — and that there hasn’t been a big stage, such as a World Cup – to draw increased criticism to the rule change.
As expected, others have joined some football players in protesting the NFL’s Wednesday announcement. Meanwhile, U.S. Soccer remains clear of scrutiny, for now.