Love It Or Leave It
I don’t think people should be staying in the locker rooms, but still I think it’s good. You have to stand proudly for the national anthem or you shouldn’t be playing, you shouldn’t be there. Maybe you shouldn’t be in the country. – Donald J Trump 5/24/18
What is American patriotism? According to our President, patriotism is showing respect for the flag: “standing proudly.” What does the flag represent? According to our President, it represents the military; so to disrespect the flag, is in fact disrespecting those who serve us in the military.
The Department of Defense paid the National Football League over $5 million between 2011 and 2014 (PBS) and a total of $53 million to various sports to honor “service men and women and veterans.” It was a good deal for both sides: the NFL was able to brand itself as supporting “the troops,” and the Defense Department got a great recruiting tool, hitting their key demographic. The agreement was first reached in 2009, and it was at that time that NFL players were required to stand on the sidelines for the National Anthem.
The NFL has made itself “patriotic” for the right price; with giant flags, B-1 Bomber flyovers, and returning soldiers family reunions. On the other hand, a true hero, Arizona Cardinal linebacker Pat Tillman, left football after 9-11 to join the Army. He was killed in Afghanistan, and the NFL (rightly) continues to honor his service. So there’s a mix in the NFL, of true patriotism and marketing.
Flag ceremonies and the National Anthem have also been an historic event for political and religious protests. From the 1968 Mexico Olympics (the raised fists of Tommie Smith and John Carlos) to the kids who refused to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in high school during the Vietnam War, to the religious groups that see honoring the flag as worshiping a false idol; flag ceremonies have been used to make a point.
The United States has always honored the freedom of speech of those who chose flag ceremonies as a place of silent protest. By allowing these kinds of demonstrations, we honor the true values of the US; freedom for diversity of opinion. The fact folks can protest during flag ceremonies is what makes America a different (and better) place. Protestors hope, in their own way, to improve America. They are Americans representing their view of America, not folks who should be exiled, as the President suggests.
So personnel in the NFL have to make choices. As employees of NFL teams, they are reasonably required to participate in the marketing schemes and strategies of their team. They wear uniforms, pink towels and socks, and customized shoes. They receive a generous salary for their cooperation (and certainly for taking the risks that pro football entails, perhaps a topic for a different essay.)
The question then, is do they check their Constitutional rights at the door as well? Can NFL players be required to “stand proudly” during the National Anthem, rather than kneel respectfully, as the Kaepernick protest movement has done? The NFL has tried to give them an out, they can stay in the locker room (as was done by most NFL teams prior to 2009) during the anthem, then come onto the field. Is that enough?
The National Basketball Association has reached a different agreement with their players. While they do either stand or go in the locker room for the anthem, they are allowed to make political and social comments through messages on “shooting shirts” and shoes. The difference: the NBA found a way to cooperate with its players. They have agreed to the National Anthem rules, in return for other means of expressing their views.
The NFL owners have chosen to arbitrarily make this rule, without agreement with the players or other personnel. Many Americans would agree that it is in fact Un-American to deny someone their right to express themselves on issues of great concern. So it’s not as simple as standing or kneeling. It’s about another great American tradition: bargaining with employees to reach solutions to problems.
Patriotism isn’t always black and white; or red, white and blue. America is complicated; a nation of diverse opinions, ethnicities, and religious beliefs. The simple “…stand proudly…” does not address any of those complexities, it simply tries to force compliance. This isn’t and hasn’t been, what the United States is about. So let’s honor the country and the flag by honoring what it really stands for: a complex nation of many views and opinions. That is what America is really all about.
Thank you for this piece, Marty.