Just one day before the official kickoff of the NFL season, a new poll finds that a majority feel that national anthem protests are unpatriotic and want kneeling players fired.
The latest Pop Polling survey said that 57 percent of registered voters feel that the NFL player protests during the national anthem are unpatriotic.
Nearly nine-in-10 Republicans, or 86 percent agree, followed by 57 percent of Independents and 33 percent of Democrats.
And, not surprisingly, President Trump has had a big impact as the leader of the protest movement that started when new Nike Just Do It campaign spokesman Colin Kaepernick took a knee.
Pop Polling said that of those who view the protests as unpatriotic, more than 80 percent agree with Trump that players should be suspended or fired.
The controversial protests have also hurt the teams’ bottom line as many fans have turned away.
Some 37 percent said they have become less interested in the NFL compared to just five years ago. And for them, the reason is the protest movement.
“The NFL’s National Anthem protest problem is likely to continue to persist this season,” said Pop Polling Managing Director Macy Cambio. “With a strong majority of voters agreeing with President Trump that player protests are unpatriotic, the NFL is going to have to walk a fine line between allowing player protests on the field and further alienating their fan base off of it.”
