After three months of hiatus, the major sports leagues are now in the process of deciding how to make their return. But if you were hoping that the resumption of sports would provide a distraction from politics, you may want to lower your expectations.
The recent George Floyd protests have reinvigorated the debate about protesting police brutality by kneeling for the national anthem. Saints quarterback Drew Brees was browbeaten into two apologies after saying he would “never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag.” Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney, who had spoken out against kneeling in the past, was the target of sports media ire once again as outlets ran with stories about Swinney’s own alleged racial issues in the locker room, which were disputed by a number of current and former Clemson players. Everyone has come to the conclusion that Colin Kaepernick, who thinks the police should be dismantled and compared them to slave patrols, was right along. All dissenters will be brought to heel.
Between coronavirus fatigue and the wall-to-wall coverage of protests and demonstrations, many sports fans will be disappointed to learn that the return of sports will not provide them the escape many of them had hoped for. Despite protesters giving little regard to social distancing measures, sports leagues are still anticipating empty or near-empty stadiums. More NFL players are expected to engage in the anthem protests than any time since Kaepernick started them, and some players even think NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will join them. And in college football, a sport with one of the most conservative fan bases, players for the Iowa Hawkeyes have seemed to indicate that they will also be kneeling for the anthem when the season starts up in the fall.
The NFL and college football are two of the most watched sports in the country. The NBA has remained an overtly political league, and that likely won’t change. Sports franchises such as NASCAR and UFC have already made their return, but they aren’t nearly as popular as their larger counterparts. And while Major League Baseball has arguably been the least political of the major sports, the owners and the players union still aren’t on the same page for reviving the 2020 season.
As the 2020 election continues to heat up, the intensity of political debates will continue to rise. Fans have been exhausted by the infusion of politics into their sports coverage, as even ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro admitted last year. So sports fans, prepare yourself for a political-sports mix unlike anything in recent memory.
