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Television networks uncharacteristically showed the national anthem before NFL games this weekend, but at least one staffer says that coverage may have come with certain restrictions...camera operators were told to avoid crowd shots during the anthem, because of any fans potentially booing or protesting the NFL players’ protest. There were reports from several stadiums of fans booing when players decided to kneel for the anthem, joining a protest of racial inequality started by former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

I did not expect Donald Trump to win the 2016 election, and like many, many other political professionals, I was egregiously wrong. After listening to what a lot of diehard Trump fans had to say, I took two big lessons away from being that wrong. The first is that I’m not Nostradamus, and I shouldn’t be in the business of definitively saying one candidate will win or lose a race. Hopefully, a lot of us learned that lesson in 2016. The other is that unfortunately, a large number of conservative Americans have given up on people like me, on people...

Tuesday when asked by TMZ Sports about the Dallas Cowboys kneeling before the national anthem to protest President Donald Trump’s comments objecting to NFL players kneeling for the national anthem, Sen John McCain (R-AZ) said it was their “right” to do so. (video at link)

Rowe explained that he was disappointed in Donald Trump’s assertion that kneeling NFL players should be fired because it assumes that team owners and league commissioners are in charge of the game, when it is in fact the football fan who is in charge. I was disappointed last night, to hear President Trump encourage owners to fire players who refuse to stand for the anthem. Not because I dispute the owners’ right to do so, and not because I would grieve the dismissal of anyone who chooses to disrespect our flag. I was disappointed because the President’s comments presuppose that...

Former Army Ranger Alejandro Villanueva was the ONLY Steeler to come out for the National Anthem on Sunday. He stood in the tunnel while the rest of the team hid in the locker room like disrespectful cowards. (snip) Steelers owner Art Rooney II sent out a letter to fans on Monday explaining the disrespectful actions.. but not apologizing.To Steelers Nation:I want to reach out to you, the members of Steelers Nation, based on what I believe is a misperception about our players’ intentions in not taking the field for the National Anthem in Chicago. The intentions of Steelers players were...

It didn’t happen until last night. For the entire time that the recent spate of highly inflamed National Anthem protests on NFL playing fields has been unfolding this year, there’s been something nagging at the back of my mind. Watching liberal activists (not to be confused with rank and file voters who may happen to be registered Democrats but also enjoy sports) charging to the barricades over these displays of kneeling, sitting or otherwise acting disrespectfully during the playing of the anthem and the display of the American flag, something just didn’t seem right. But last night was when it...

Sunday brought a lot of controversy, with numerous NFL players kneeling during the national anthem. But it was also an interesting day for football, with a lot of big upsets. And President Trump may have played a role. The teams with the most players kneeling or sitting during the anthem were more likely to lose. This also includes teams that stayed in their locker rooms. Trump’s tweets sure got the NFL’s attention. "If NFL fans refuse to go to games until players stop disrespecting our Flag & Country, you will see change take place fast. Fire or suspend!" Trump wrote....

FULL TITLE: Trump says he brought up NFL protests because he was 'ashamed' of what was taking place – insisting he's not 'preoccupied' with the issue that has overshadowed Puerto Rico catastrophe President Donald Trump defended his intense focus on the NFL protest issue – insisting at a White House press conference Tuesday that the topic was 'very important' and that he was not 'preoccupied' with it. The president said his administration was 'doing a great job' contending with the devastation in Puerto Rico and otherwise handling the duty of his office. 'I have heard that before about was I...

For all of Donald Trump’s often baffling social commentary, he could not have asked for better opponents in an ongoing culture war that has the political left crying foul. On everything from statues, to sports protests, the left seems eager to somehow try to out-do Trump’s bombastic absurdity. [SNIP] The kneel down gesture was always puzzling to me, as the national anthem isn’t played at sporting events to honor police officers. It’s in large part to honor men and women serving in the nation’s armed forces (more on that in a minute) which give us the freedom to gather in...

I appeared on The Michael Koolidge Show on 1440 WROK Talk Radio on September 26, 2017.We discussed several of my posts about the NFL "take a knee" protests: NFL picked sides in the culture war, now it has to live with the consequencesDear NFL: I'm not "boycotting" you. I just don't care anymore, about you.If you love how sports were politicized, just wait for your next visit with Dr. Progressive Here are some excerpts from the interview: "The NFL was the one place where you didn't have to deal with politics. As somebody who writes about politics all the time,...

I'm calling foul on all the leftists rushing to protect the NFL's protest crusaders from President Donald Trump's criticism of their national anthem antics. Their shabby line of defense? The NFL is a "private enterprise" whose "rights" are being violated by those who dare to challenge the league's political radicalization. The anti-Trump Democratic Coalition has even filed an ethics complaint alleging that the president's comments constitute a criminal violation against using government offices "to influence the employment decisions and practices" of a private entity. Funny. These fair-weather friends of corporate free speech and the First Amendment were nowhere to be...

Green Bay Packers have called on fans to join in with the team and link arms during Thursday's playing of the national anthem ahead of their clash with Chicago. President Trump's latest comments on Tuesday have added to an already tense situation and players protests reached unprecedented levels at the weekend when more than 200 players took a knee during the playing of 'The Star Spangled Banner'. On Thursday, all eyes will be on Lambeau Field when the Packers and Bears face off in the first game of Week Four to see how the next stage of the protest plays...

Dear NFL, You were doing your part to bring people together and heal the world. That’s really how healing works. We heal by loving each other and leading by example; showing people what is possible when we love each other just as we are and not only recognize our differences but celebrate them and look at how we can use them together to make us jointly better than our separate parts. You were doing your part celebrating each other based on skills, talent and a joint vision without regard to color and religion. You were doing your part and we...

Dear NFL, You were doing your part to bring people together and heal the world. That’s really how healing works. We heal by loving each other and leading by example; showing people what is possible when we love each other just as we are and not only recognize our differences but celebrate them and look at how we can use them together to make us jointly better than our separate parts. You were doing your part celebrating each other based on skills, talent and a joint vision without regard to color and religion. You were doing your part and we...

One of the most striking elements of the NFL anthem protest controversy is the glaring disconnect between average Americans -- especially sports fans -- and the media covering the story. Airwaves and column inches are disproportionately crowded with pro-protest (and anti-Trump) perspectives, whereas most non-elite observers come down on the other side of the issue. It's reminiscent of the 2016 election dynamic, in which the overwhelming majority of the media was horrified by Donald Trump and convinced he had virtually no chance of winning. They were unable or unwilling to understand the range of sentiments and motivations that inspired tens...

<p>Remember when you could enjoy pro football without getting lectured on politics? Not any more.</p> <p>The NFL is on a politically-correct suicide course, alienating fans and wrecking ratings. It can thank former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who last year started the fad of refusing to stand for the pre-game national anthem because he did not want to “stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color." This year the flag protests are a mass phenomenon, with over 200 players taking a knee last week.</p>

e National Football League is prime territory for companies looking to sell their products, after all who wouldn't want to be associated with the most popular sport in America? Now those companies are sending a message to the NFL that a certain standard is expected by those who are footing the bill. The actions of a few players are giving the NFL a black eye in front of the companies that contribute heavily to the profitability of the league and its 32 member franchises. Advertisers are hearing feedback from American consumers that the off the field conduct of some players...

DirecTV is allowing at least some customers to cancel subscriptions to its Sunday Ticket package of NFL games and obtain refunds, if they cite players’ national anthem protests as the reason for discontinuing service, customer service representatives said Tuesday. Under Sunday Ticket’s regular policy, refunds are not to be given once the season is underway. But the representatives said they are making exceptions this season—which began in September—because of the controversy over the protests, in which players kneel or link arms during the national anthem. DirecTV service representatives contacted by The Wall Street Journal had different understandings of the policy....

Roger Goodell is an early riser who is often up by 5:30 a.m. Traveling away from home on Saturday, the NFL commissioner woke to an unexpected crisis: The multibillion-dollar sports empire he manages was under attack by the president of the United States. In a speech Friday night, followed by a series of tweets Saturday morning, President Donald Trump castigated NFL players for kneeling during the national anthem. He said owners should fire any player who protests. He said games were boring and ratings were down, and called on fans to boycott the league because they love their country. Goodell...

The National Football League and Facebook today announced a multiyear deal to deliver official NFL video and other types of content to fans around the world. The NFL will publish NFL Game Recaps and official highlights from all 256 regular season games as well as the playoffs and Super Bowl that will be available to people globally on Facebook. In addition, NFL Media, the League's owned and operated media division, will distribute uniquely packaged content from its award-winning production arm, NFL Films, on Facebook's Watch platform. NFL Turning Point, Sound FX and NFL Game Recaps will be posted each week...