The NWSL has "revised its policy surrounding the national anthem," as the anthem will "still be played before games as normal, but players will not be required to be out on the field," according to Ryan Young of YAHOO SPORTS. The league said that if players choose, they can "remain in the locker room instead." Young noted players across teams in the league "took a knee during the anthem during their respective games" this past weekend. The move "was not universally done, however, as some still opted to stand." NWSL Commissioner Lisa Baird yesterday said that the decision to change the policy "isn't to restrict players' abilities to speak out or kneel." She said that this new policy "does the complete opposite" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 6/29). In Utah, Ryan McDonald reports about an hour before the league made its announcement, Utah Royals FC D Elizabeth Ball, who is Black, met with local reporters via Zoom and said that the team "would be united in its actions" this morning as the anthem played before its Cup opener against the Houston Dash. More than that, though, she expressed that the idea "should be about what kneeling during the anthem represents rather than who is or isn’t doing it" (DESERET NEWS, 6/30).
