After two years of heated debate, most voters are on the same page when it comes to national anthem protests in the NFL.
An NBC News-Wall Street Journal poll of 900 registered voters taken last week asked, “When it comes to professional football players kneeling during the national anthem to protest racial inequality in the United States, do you consider this to be an appropriate way or not an appropriate way to bring attention to these concerns?” Respondents agreed the protests were not appropriate by an 11-point margin of 54 to 43 percent. The poll’s margin of error was plus or minus 3.27 percentage points.
For all their arguments that the protests are patriotic, players have apparently still failed at convincing the public that it’s acceptable to kneel during the national anthem (although they seem to have persuaded much of the media). Other polls have found similar results over the years.
And that’s why Republicans love connecting the protests to Democrats, especially in conservative states. Their position is much more popular. Consider the battle between Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-Texas: After O’Rourke sided passionately with the protesters, Cruz turned the video clip into a campaign ad.
The debate is a cultural flashpoint. This year, any protests that take place will play out against the backdrop of a waning midterm election season, and Republicans are eager to drag Democrats into the culture wars, trapping them between the party’s progressive base and their larger constituencies. It’s not an easy balance for everyone to strike.
But the split in public opinion also puts the NFL in an interesting position. A margin of 54 to 43 percent means a lot of people still see the protests as “appropriate” and may not want the league to take action to undermine them. Then again, the majority of respondents in the poll disagree. As a business, there are no easy answers for the NFL.
But when it comes to controversial political questions, it’s hard to get more than half of voters to agree on anything these days.
