NFL Goes Woke in Opening Week
Robert Hampton, American Renaissance, September 20, 2020
September 13, 2020, Detroit, Michigan: Chicago Bears players during the National Anthem before the first half of an NFL game. (Credit Image: © Amy Lemus / NurPhoto via ZUMA Press)
The National Football League season began last week, and Black Lives Matter was everywhere. Teams stenciled social justice messages in the end zone, players took a knee during the national anthem, and the league let players write the names of black “victims” on helmets. The NFL supports a radical left-wing movement.
All opening week games began with the “black national anthem” — an early 20th century song called “Lift Every Voice and Sing” — before the national anthem. Some teams stood for the black anthem but didn’t for the Star-Spangled Banner. That’s what the Baltimore Ravens and the New York Giants did. “This was a demonstration for justice and equality for all Americans. These are core values we can all support,” Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti explained.
The Pittsburgh Steelers held up a “Steelers Against Racism” banner during the national anthem. Some Steelers players also raised black-power fists.
We stand together against racism. #ItTakesAllOfUs pic.twitter.com/xfeUACPu8Z
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) September 14, 2020
Seven teams, including the Miami Dolphins, stayed in their locker rooms during the national anthem. Dolphins players made a video saying the black national anthem was nothing but a publicity stunt, and that they would stay inside for the national anthem until NFL owners do something serious.
BREAKING NEWS: The@MiamiDolphins players will stay inside for both national anthems. They express their discontentment with what they call “fluff and empty gestures” by the @NFL pic.twitter.com/ghUktHhPt9
— Jay Williams (@RealJayWilliams) September 10, 2020
On some teams, including the Washington Football Team, every player took a knee for the anthem. The team, formerly known as the Redskins, played its first game without an official name. Frank Reich, the white head coach for the Indianapolis Colts, took a knee during the anthem while his team stood. The Colts said kneeling is a posture of “humility — taken by the white community — to acknowledge the injustice and inequality that is present, and to find the courage and resolve to make the changes needed.” The Atlanta Falcons and Seattle Seahawks took a knee during their game’s opening kickoff.
We will not be silent.
We will not be neutral.
We will not be passive. pic.twitter.com/TB7IjMpoYs— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) September 13, 2020
Several stadiums stenciled “End Racism” in their end zones. Players sported social justice messages on their warm-up shirts and other gear. The NFL let players display the names of victims of “police violence and systemic racism” on their helmets. It had a long list, including Michael Brown, Althea Bernstein (a half-black woman who claims to be the victim of a dubious hate crime), and Denmark Vesey, a black freedman who tried to stage a slave revolt in 1822 and slaughter whites. Helmets can also say: “It Takes All of Us,” “End Racism,” “Stop Hate,” or “Black Lives Matter.”
There is no resistance. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones once said all his players must stand for the national anthem. Now he supports players who kneel. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, another former opponent of anthem protests, praised the players for “confronting systemic racism with tangible and productive steps.”
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees made a stink in June when he demanded players stand for the anthem. He and his wife apologized, and he now backs the protests. He even wore a “Say Her Name” warm-up shirt, a reference to Breonna Taylor.
Fans don’t like this. When the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans linked arms for “social justice,” there were boos from the stadium. The opening game reported a 12.3 percent ratings drop from last year. The first Sunday night game saw a 15 percent drop from the year before. The first Monday-night game was down 17.2 percent.
Other leagues that beat the drum for “social justice” also saw declines. The NBA playoffs were down 27 percent from last season, and the first MLB Sunday-night game was off by 18 percent. House-bound sports fans are supposed to be starved for games, but they don’t want sermons about BLM. The owners clearly feel compelled to send a message. Whites are sending a message right back by turning off the TV.
