It’s not even football season, but, once again, there is controversy over the NFL, kneeling, and the national anthem.
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees backed down and apologized multiple times for saying he didn’t agree with people kneeling during the anthem. Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson says he will kneel for the national anthem this season. Commissioner Roger Goodell now says the NFL mishandled the national anthem protests.
Jimmy Traina of Sports Illustrated suggested another solution. He argues that sporting events should stop playing the national anthem altogether.
His piece points out that it’s not shown on TV broadcasts typically and isn’t used in other places — such as movie theaters, Broadway shows, restaurants, White House briefings, etc. It’s an interesting argument in that it avoids the problem, but it doesn’t seem to be the right solution. Sporting events in the United States should absolutely continue playing the national anthem.
Traina says the only reason he ever hears as to why it should be played is “tradition.” There’s actually a few reasons for it, though.
Maybe the better reason to give is that both sports and the national anthem are parts of our national identity.
According to a 2018 Gallup Poll, 85% of the public said the country’s culture and arts were a source of national pride; 73% also said that sporting achievements made them proud.
The most popular sports in the U.S. are largely American phenomena. American football, basketball, and baseball were invented here. In the case of American football, it’s hard to find any leagues for it outside of this country. Football is part of the American culture and experience.
So what does the national anthem have to do with that? Oftentimes at these events, the PA announcer will ask people to rise and remove their caps “to honor America” with the national anthem. Honoring the U.S. shouldn’t be a political issue. There are certain aspects about America that are far from perfect (for conservatives, legalized abortion being one of them), but we believe in the opportunity to make positive change.
The places Traina mentioned that don’t play the national anthem are not as unique to the American experience. Dinner and a movie isn’t America’s pastime, baseball is.
Don’t forget the national anthem makes money. While it’s not shown on television, TV networks use the time to show commercials. Broadcasters can air three or four 30-second commercials during the national anthem, making rights to the sporting event ever so slightly more valuable.
Plus, what would the reaction be like if leagues grabbed national headlines for not playing the national anthem anymore? Would President Trump let it slide, or would the debate get endlessly politicized, leading to an unavoidable bad news cycle for the league in question? Millions of people weren’t happy when Colin Kaepernick knelt for the anthem in 2016, and it even harmed the NFL’s TV ratings. With sports leagues still reeling from the pandemic, they can’t afford to have fans tune out because of a political controversy.
It’s sad the national anthem ever became a controversial issue, but eliminating it from sports isn’t the way to solve it. Just make players stand for it, and if they want to work toward policing reform and improve economic mobility, that’s great. Kneeling for the national anthem doesn’t do that, though.
Tom Joyce (@TomJoyceSports) is a freelance writer who has been published with USA Today, the Boston Globe, Newsday, ESPN, the Detroit Free Press, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Federalist, and a number of other media outlets.
