National anthem

[MUMac]

I believe that the NBA has a rule about players standing for the anthem already in place. If true, will be interesting to see if that is challenged this fall. And then if challenged, what does the League do.

They do, as Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf FKA Chris Jackson found out when he sat for the anthem.

[Markedman]

The league is much different now......I will be shocked if they do anything now that NFL has allowed it without punishment.

NBA caters to the star players now.....Lebron, Curry...etc......Does anybody really think Adam Silver is going to do anything if those guys take a knee?

[MUFAN2010]

The league is much different now......I will be shocked if they do anything now that NFL has allowed it without punishment.

NBA caters to the star players now.....Lebron, Curry...etc......Does anybody really think Adam Silver is going to do anything if those guys take a knee?

if they do, should they?

[Phantom Warrior]

What would they do? Suspend the players? No way.

The backlash from a majority of the teams' fans would be enormous.

On top of that, I think that if an owner suspended or fined even one player, no matter who it was, the other players on the team would then kneel or whatever in support of their teammate. Then what would the owner do? Suspend the entire team? Cancel games? No way, Jose.

[MUMac]

What would they do? Suspend the players? No way.

The backlash from a majority of the teams' fans would be enormous.

On top of that, I think that if an owner suspended or fined even one player, no matter who it was, the other players on the team would then kneel or whatever in support of their teammate. Then what would the owner do? Suspend the entire team? Cancel games? No way, Jose.

It would be the league that would dole out the penalties, if any, not the team owners. Would they? I doubt it as Markedman said above. One caveat to that, though, is gauging the fallout (if any) to the NFL from the fans. Money drives both leagues and if they took action, it would likely be due to concerns about losing the fans.

Right now you see the NFL, it's teams, owners and players in crisis management mode over last weekends actions. The NBA is watching and will have the luxury of seeing how this plays out first.

[Phantom Warrior]

I'm curious. Do posters think that a substantial number of NFL fans will boycott games?

Maybe a more personal question: anyone on this board regularly attend NFL games who would now stop going because of players kneeling during the anthem? (Doesn't have to be a Packer fan - could be a fan of any team.)

[MUMac]

I'm curious. Do posters think that a substantial number of NFL fans will boycott games?

Maybe a more personal question: anyone on this board regularly attend NFL games who would now stop going because of players kneeling during the anthem? (Doesn't have to be a Packer fan - could be a fan of any team.)

It's not the attendance at games, but the apparel sales, tv viewership ... That I do believe will continue to see a dip.

I am a season ticket holder for both the Green and Gold packages for the Packers. It won't stop me from going. I, though, detest what they have done - bringing politics into sports.

[mufan2003]

Remington Research Group conducted one of the first national surveys on this topic (Sept 25 with 1,633 respondents). They accurately predicted the 2016 election. 2 of the more relevant questions related to the recent controversy:

Q6: Do you think NFL players should stand and be respectful during the national anthem?

Yes: 64%
No: 24%
Unsure: 12%

Q10: In the future, would you prefer to see more politics, less politics, or the same amount of politics during sporting events?

More politics: 7%
Less politics: 80%
Same amount: 13%

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzW...dsXzZ0bGM/view

[Alan Bykowski, "brewcity77"]

Interesting. I never really gave it any thought but now I am questioning it -- why is the national anthem played before sporting events? Kind of strange when you think about it.

The Chicago Cubs started it in the 1918 World Series and it grew from there.

http://www.politico.com/magazine/sto...-sports-215646

Outside US sports, the only time anthems are typically played is for international competitions like Olympics or the World Cup. But here, sports and politics have often been closely linked. Jesse Owens, Tommie Smith, Muhammed Ali, the Olympic Boycott, the Miracle on Ice, the NFL delaying the season after 9-11, Pat Tillman, the military paying the NFL to have players on the field for the anthem starting in 2009 as a recruiting strategy, Kaepernick's knee, even yesterday's FBI investigation of NCAA basketball recruiting, it's very interesting just how indivisible sports and politics are in this country.

[mufan2003]

It's not the attendance at games, but the apparel sales, tv viewership ... That I do believe will continue to see a dip.

I am a season ticket holder for both the Green and Gold packages for the Packers. It won't stop me from going. I, though, detest what they have done - bringing politics into sports.

I agree. I think vulnerability to the drop in attendance will depend on the strength of the team. Packers, Patriots, Falcons fans will still watch/attend because the product on the field is too good/entertaining. Despite the fact that the majority do not like what is going on (if it continues). Browns and Bengals fans may feel differently. I think overall TV viewership could fall, with fans choosing to only watch their team, when they used to watch multiple games.