Surveys found forty-eight percent of Americans support the NFL’s new policy while just 32% oppose itGETTY IMAGES
Three polls released since the NFL announced a new anthem policy "suggest the league’s decision is broadly in line with public opinion," according to Bacon & Mehta of FIVE THIRTY EIGHT. The polls "make a few things clear" beginning with the sense that a "plurality of Americans don't like the national anthem protests." Forty-eight percent of Americans "support the NFL’s new policy, compared to" 32% who oppose it. Just as in previous polls on this issue, there are "huge racial and partisan divides." According to a HuffPost/YouGov poll, "most black people [66%] and Democrats [62%] think that kneeling is appropriate, while most white people [60%] and Republicans [87%] think it is inappropriate." But opinions among these groups "aren’t uniform" as 29% of black people "back the new NFL policy (per Yahoo/YouGov)," 34% of black people "either feel kneeling is inappropriate or aren’t sure how they feel about the issue." Twenty-three percent of Democrats "think kneeling is inappropriate." In other words, "very few Republicans support kneeling, while a significant bloc of black people and Democrats oppose kneeling." That asymmetry is "basically what explains the NFL policy’s net positive numbers overall." Additionally, 41% of Americans "support fining the teams, but slightly more [44%] oppose that idea." This "may tell us that people don’t want teams fined, because they like teams." There "appears to be a difference between how Americans feel about seeing players protest on the field versus how they feel about the league imposing a penalty for those protests." The NFL's new policy "is a win" for President Trump. If Trump inserts himself further into this issue, it could "drive up opposition to the new national anthem policy among black people and white Democrats." At the same time, polls suggest the national anthem "is a winning issue for the president overall, which will likely "remain very popular with Republicans and perhaps be shared by the plurality of voters overall." The NFL season "starts in September, just as Americans gear up for the midterm elections." And a national debate over the anthem and kneeling "could be exactly what Trump wants around that time" (FIVETHIRTYEIGHT.com, 6/1).
TEAMS STILL TALKING IT OVER: In Atlanta, D. Orlando Ledbetter noted the Falcons "have not yet discussed" the new anthem policy as a team. However, the team and Owner Arthur Blank "met with" Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality National Dir of Leadership & Education Programs Andrew MacIntosh. Coach Dan Quinn said, "Last November we decided that we’d form a committee and really try to take head-on some of the issues. That’s really where our focus has been over the last seven weeks. We’ve performed an offseason program that has kind of done different projects along the way." Quinn said that the work "revolved around law enforcement and teenagers" (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 6/2). THE MMQB's Robert Klemko wrote with the anthem issue, the NFLPA "finds itself working to strike a political balance." The NFLPA "took a calculated risk in allowing a players coalition" led by Eagles S Malcolm Jenkins to "negotiate the anthem issue with NFL owners without a strong NFLPA presence." Union officials in communication with the coalition "advised players on their rights to protest but made no outward show of support for the causes they advocated and didn’t advise them on those issues, choosing to steer clear of the thorny realm of social justice out of deference more to conservative players in the union." Now, after the NFL "took advantage of division within the coalition to pass a new rule without player input, the union is expressing its disappointment at not being involved." The NFLPA "can’t have it both ways." The growing emphasis on strengthening the players’ connection with their union "will come with the expectation that the NFLPA take a firmer stand on issues it hasn’t historically negotiated" (SI.com, 6/1).
OWNERS IN CONTROL? In Boston, Ben Volin wrote it is becoming "increasingly clear" that Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones "runs the NFL." Last week, "even more proof emerged that the NFL caters to Jones's demands" regarding the anthem issue. The NFL's new policy "makes it clear that Jones and Trump got their way." When it comes to "league matters and the business of the NFL, there is no question that Jones is now running the show" (BOSTON GLOBE, 6/3). In K.C., Vahe Gregorian notes Chiefs Chair & CEO Clark Hunt is "dug in" on the anthem issue. He has said that his preference for players to stand for the anthem is "on board with this reportedly unanimous decision among owners and has shown zero inclination to stand up for players in this contentious matter." Unless and until Hunt "demonstrates otherwise, his actions say he’s concerned only about the bottom line and uninterested in the greater good that could come with respect for the true meaning of the protests and further engagement and understanding." But like other NFL owners, he "may not have a handle on the repercussions of this action: Who’s to say how many fans have been alienated by this business decision to placate others?" (K.C. STAR, 6/4). In N.Y., Evan Grossman wrote NFL owners have "plenty of egg on their faces" after the introduction of the new anthem policy. There was "once a time when NFL owners actually had a spine, when they stood against Trump, whether it was when he ran the USFL into the ground, or failed to obtain his own NFL team." Those days "are clearly over" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 6/2).
