One of the most divisive issues facing the NFL today is the subject of national anthem protests.
Some believe players kneeling during the Star-Spangled Banner is disrespectful to the military and the flag and ought to be outlawed by owners. Others believe the players are exercising their right to non-violent protest and bringing attention to an important issue — racially motivated police brutality. Players who protest have specifically stated they don’t mean any disrespect to the military, and in some cases veterans or military members have publicly stated support for the protests.
Get More Sports is proud to bring you weekly Q&A’s with Chris and Glenn Gronkowski during the 2018 season, and the ex-NFL players — whose brother, Rob, is the All-Pro tight end for the New England Patriots — tackled the anthem issue in their answers last week.
History of national anthem protest
The first NFL player to kneel during the national anthem as a method of protest was San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who sat down during the anthem before each of the Niners’ preseason games in 2016. He protested quietly and without fanfare until a reporter asked him about it after the team’s third preseason game.
The protest quickly garnered a lot of attention, much of it negative. Kaepernick changed his protest to kneeling during the anthem, a move he said was out of respect for U.S. military members. His 49ers teammate, safety Eric Reid, joined Kaepernick in kneeling before the final preseason game.
Soon, during the regular season, several other players kneeled during the anthem, and more raised a fist or locked arms while the song was played.
In the 2017 preseason, Browns tight end Seth DeValve became the first white player to kneel during the anthem. A month later, President Donald Trump lambasted the protesting players at a rally in Alabama, saying that a kneeling player was a “son of a bitch” who should be fired and that kneeling during the national anthem was “a total disrespect of our heritage.”
In response to Trump’s outspoken comments, more than 200 players kneeled during the anthem the following Sunday, Sept. 24, 2017.
Related: Listen to Episode 2 of the Gronkcast
Current state of anthem protests
That day was the peak of the protests. In the 11 months since, some players have continued to kneel, though not in near as great a number. Kaepernick and Reid have not been signed as free agents even though they were both starters in their most recent seasons in the NFL.
Before the 2018 season, the NFL established a rule to punish any player who kneeled during the national anthem. The declaration was made without consulting the NFL Players Association and soon the NFL rescinded, saying no punishment would take place until further notice. Several members of the Miami Dolphins kneeled before the national anthem of their first preseason game.
Chris Gronkowski’s anthem opinion
The first Gronk brother asked about the national anthem protests responded with a wide-angle approach.
“If a player is going to take a knee for the national anthem, then he better be spending some of his time and efforts in the offseason toward the cause that he is protesting against.”
Chris raises a solid point that players might be able to effect more change if they did work in their communities for the oppressed and with the police departments. Of course, the First Amendment, which guarantees the right to a peaceful protest (though not necessarily in the workplace), does not require that protesters do anything.
Many of the protestors, first and foremost Kaepernick, have donated much of their time and money to the causes they support, as Chris suggests. It’s also true that offseason work doesn’t garner nearly as much attention to the cause as pre-game protests with millions watching on television.
Still, Chris comes down hard on the protestors at the end of his statement.
“You can say that you are not disrespecting our country or the men who fought and continue to fight for our freedom, but actions speak louder than words.”
This is a touchy issue, of course, but it’s worth keeping in mind that most of the protesters continue to show support for the military, and some men and women who fight for our country also support their cause. Either way, it’s clear that you can’t count Chris Gronkowski in that number.
Glenn Gronkowski’s anthem opinion
The second Gronkowski brother asked about the national anthem protests doesn’t come out with nearly as strong an opinion. Glenn focuses less on whether he supports or opposes the protests and more about the unfortunate impact he thinks the protests are having.
“What worries me about the anthem protests in that the league is starting to see a decline because of it. I think what the majority of the players don’t realize is the fans indirectly pay their paycheck and if ticket sales and attendance are down, then it is eventually going to cut into their pay if they continue to protest.”
The effect of protests on ticket sales is unclear. While some police unions in South Florida asked officers to return their discount season tickets when the Dolphins players kneeled in their first preseason game, it’s unknown if any actually did so. Surely, however, Glenn is correct in that at least some patrons have stopped watching or going to NFL games because of the national anthem protests.
The much clearer issue affecting NFL revenues — and therefore player salaries — has nothing to do with the national anthem or the protests. It’s cord-cutting, the process of consumers using streaming services for their entertainment instead of cable or antenna television. This has impacted all sports and programming, not just the NFL.
“If all this were to happen because of politics I think that would be a bad way for the NFL to go down for so many people who just love watching and playing the game.”
Glenn contradicts himself a bit here, as he says politics are going to bring down the game but in the same sentence acknowledges there are many who love watching and playing the game regardless.
And indeed, the NFL inarguably is still the most popular sport — and most popular entertainment of any kind — in our great country. Of the top 100 rated TV programs in 2017, 71 one of them were NFL games or pregame or postgame shows. The sport is strong, among gamblers, fantasy football players and those who are just rooting on their favorite team or player.
That’s true despite issues surrounding national anthem protests (and concussions, to name another), and it seems like it will continue to be true. That does not, however, mean the national anthem protests are any less polarizing, as the Brothers Gronk make clear in their thoughtful answers on the subject.
The Gronkcast Episodes:
Link: The GronkCast: Episode 9: Inside The NFL: Featuring Rob Gronkowski’s bodyguard Bobby Goons
Link: The GronkCast: Episode 8: Inside The NFL: Inside A Players Life in the NFL
Link: The GronkCast: Episode 7: Inside The NFL: An Interview with WWE superstar Mojo Rawley
Link: The GronkCast: Episode 6: Inside The NFL: NFL Week 2, BulletProof Picks, NFL Head Coaches
Link: The GronkCast: Episode 5: Inside The NFL: A Day In The Life of An NFL Player, NFL Week 1
Link: The GronkCast: Episode 4: Inside The NFL: NFL Betting Strategies, The Best NFL Prop Bets
Link: The GronkCast: Episode 3: Inside The NFL: What It’s Like To Be A Rookie In The NFL
