ESPN this morning said that it "will now air the national anthem" for tonight's Redskins-Chiefs "MNF" game following the tragedy in Las Vegas, according to Richard Deitsch of SI.com (TWITTER.com, 10/2). SPORTING NEWS' Michael McCarthy reported ESPN previously had not planned to "air the playing of the national anthem" amid the ongoing player protests in the NFL. The NFL's TV partners "normally do not show players before the unfurling of the American flag and singing/playing of the national anthem, except before the Super Bowl and other select games." But given viewer interest around players staging demonstrations last week, ESPN, Fox, NBC, CBS, NFL Network and DirecTV "all provided live anthem coverage during Week 3." But with the league "seemingly trying to put protests during the national anthem in the rear-view mirror," ESPN had planned to "return to its normal coverage strategy this week." Fox televised the national anthem "before the Saints-Dolphins game in London" but did not show it live "during regional games." NBC "televised live" the anthem before Colts-Seahawks "SNF" last night. CBS "showed the anthem live before its game telecasts" (SPORTINGNEWS.com, 10/2).
NO-WIN SITUATION? SI.com's Deitsch wrote NFL TV rights-holders have "no good options" on the anthem, as whatever they decide coverage-wise, millions of viewers "won't be happy." The NFL’s TV partners "want this to go away" but it "won’t." The "truth is there are no good options but only one honest choice" for CBS, ESPN, Fox, NBC and NFL Network. Deitsch: "Your job is to document what transpires on the field at all times. Show any and all players who have decided to protest either live or on tape, comment if anything is newsworthy about those actions, and move onto the game" (SI.com, 10/1). In Baltimore, David Zurawik writes CBS "got it right" in showing the anthem before the Steelers-Ravens (Baltimore SUN, 10/2).
WONDERING WHY: Fox' Troy Aikman said when Colin Kaepernick began his protest last year, the network "didn't show the anthem." Appearing on Dallas-based KTCK-FM, Aikman said, "We would go back and we would show those players that protested during the anthem. We would show that in game at some point which I never really understood. I just thought it was a bad decision. I thought that people tuned in to watch football, and sports is supposed to be their getaway from politics and from the real world." Aikman was informed by Fox Sports Producer Richard Zyontz that the network would be "televising the anthem live" for Panthers-Patriots. Aikman: "I asked the question, 'Is that a directive from Fox or is that handed down from the NFL?' I didn't get an answer to that. He didn't know. I don't know if all the anthems were televised live or not. Ours was, and I didn't agree with it then. Whatever your stance is, I just don't think we have to show it" (DALLASNEWS.com, 9/29).
