NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on Thursday said that he expects players to "continue to stand" for the national anthem this season. Speaking after the league's BOG meetings in N.Y. Silver said, "We have a rule that requires our players to stand for the anthem. ... It is my hope that our players will continue to use that moment as a moment of unity. Many of our players have spoken out already about their plan to stand for the anthem. And I think they understand how divisive an issue it is in our country right now.” Should players violate the rule, Silver said the league would "deal with it when it happens.” Silver added that it is "disheartening to me to see so much disunity in our society." Silver: "Sports historically, and in the NBA in particular, has been a unifying force. While there have always been disagreements in society, sports arenas have been places where all people from all walks of life have come together and for a common experience" (John Lombardo, Staff Writer). In DC, Tim Bontemps notes the discussion about the anthem "overshadowed several changes the league made" to the draft lottery format and resting players (WASHINGTON POST, 9/29). Cavaliers Owner Dan Gilbert said, "We have to get ahead of this whole thing, and that's what we talked about yesterday." He said the discussion was "very, very intense and very, very vocal and very, very concerning." He added everyone involved in the NBA "should be concerned" that a prolonged anthem controversy could hurt business. Gilbert: "People had strong feelings, and it was about, 'Let's get ahead of it.'" CNBC's Joe Kernen said, "You need to tell Goodell that, because they were not. They were like a deer in the headlights" ("Squawk Box," CNBC, 9/29).
DECISION TIME: In N.Y., Scott Cacciola writes Silver has been "widely lauded for leading the most socially progressive major sports league in the country, and has not had to deal with the backlash that is now facing the NFL." However, with the start of the season just weeks away and players like Cavaliers F LeBron James "openly criticizing the president and his policies, Silver may have to decide whether he will punish players for breaking league rules by staging protests during the anthem" (N.Y. TIMES, 9/29). THE RINGER's Haley O'Shaughnessy wrote Silver, who has "built his popularity on being a refreshing, anti-Goodell, progressive, modern league leader, can surely anticipate the blowback that would result in fining players who protest." Even the NFL did not fine players who knelt during the anthem last week. However, Silver is "still beholden to league owners, who time and time again have prioritized their bottom lines." With players like James and Warriors G Stephen Curry "leading the way, social activism is a part of the league," it could be in the NBA's "best interest to nix the rule that prohibits kneeling during the anthem" (THERINGER.com, 9/28).
ON THE ICE: SPORTSNET.ca's John Shannon reported the NHL BOG on Wednesday discussed national anthems and their "role prior to hockey games." Much of the talk was "constructive, and in the end, consensus was that fans come to the games to watch the games and enjoy the event." The playing of the anthems is "part of the event" and seen as a "positive tradition." There was "no appetite to shy away from running them because of how many arena crowds, in both countries, actually sing along with the anthem singers." Shannon: "It is as much of a tradition as it is patriotic, if not more." Meanwhile, the prevalent thought was that teams would "respect the players" if they decide to protest during the anthems" (SPORTSNET.ca, 9/28). In Toronto, Bruce Arthur notes there were "fewer than 30 Black NHL players last year in a league of more than 700, and as sports is roiled by protest and politics in the NBA and the NFL ... the NHL seems ill-equipped for the moment." It is the "whitest of the four major sports, filled with Canadians and Europeans, largely removed from the issues at play." A "strain of racism has always lurked in hockey," and the sport "hasn’t exactly provided the most progressive sports environment." Sharks RW Joel Ward on Thursday released a statement saying that he "would not kneel," as he had previously contemplated (TORONTO STAR, 9/29).
