In late May, NFL owner's unanimously decided that players would be required to stand for the National Anthem. If they did not want to they are required to stay in the locker room for the duration of the song. Failure to do either will result in some sort of disciplinary action by the team. While the official punishment has not been announced many have looked to the following as possible means to punish players. Paying a fine upwards of $7500, suspension, and a 15 yard penalty are just a few. But the most important punishment and the one that has not been highlighted as much is the fact the players can end up like Colin Kaepernick for expressing their views. Teams can simply overlook and release players much easier now because they feel that their use of their First Amendment right may cause them fiscal, media, and on-field problems.
Whatever you viewpoint there is one thing that is undeniable. This new ruling will not only hurt the NFL through their fan bases, it can also decrease the amount of people who watch the NFL, it creates a further schism between the NFL Player's Association (NFLPA) and the owners, as well as front office personnel and the owners. There have already been multiple reports of team faculty and players that have objected to the new rule via social media and other news outlets. According to Sports Illustrated, Jets' Chairman Christopher Johnson said that he would be more than willing to pay the fines of players who chose to protest on field. Former NFL quarterback, Sage Rosenfels called on the NFL to go back to having all players stay in the locker room while the anthem is being played, thus avoiding any problems at all.
But not all backlash has come from the NFL's own, Golden State Warriors Head Coach, Steve Kerr also gave his input in an interview. Firing back at the NFL rule, Kerr said that he not surprised at the NFL's choice in instating the rule. In the video Kerr blames the NFL for using the anthem as a way to spread nationalism and "fake patriotism". Kerr also says that he is grateful to apart of a league that is willing to sit down with its employees to listen to their viewpoints and create a fair solution that way. Although the NBA does have a rule saying that players must stand for the anthem. Adam Silver (commissioner of the NBA), players, coaches, and owners have all come together to find different avenues for player to express their views on and off the court.
It is that communication between players, owners, and commissioner that has been missing from the NFL. Rather than sit down with players and having a conversation to find the root of the problem, the NFL often cuts out the players and their opinions. This cutting out of their voices has been the cause of much of the problem, and until the NFL can find a way to fix this they will continue to fall fast into the darkness, losing players, coaches, and most importantly their fan bases.
