Brothers in arms against the politics of division
WITH his attacks on activist athletes, US President Donald Trump plunged into the middle of his favourite kind of drama — personal, aggressive, culturally volatile, and entirely of his own making.
For three days, the provocateur president has drawn criticism from the worlds of politics and sports for saying that football players who kneel during the national anthem should be fired.
The conflict peaked last Sunday with Trump’s remarks, which had the effect of uniting a newly minted opposition coalition that included a growing number of players and coaches, as well as some owners who have backed the president.
If a player wants the privilege of making millions of dollars in the NFL,or other leagues, he or she should not be allowed to disrespect....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 23, 2017
...our Great American Flag (or Country) and should stand for the National Anthem. If not, YOU'RE FIRED. Find something else to do!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 23, 2017
Late Sunday, Trump continued to defend the scrap — which prompted about 200 players to stand, kneel or raise their fists during the national anthem at games — telling reporters in New Jersey that kneeling was “very disrespectful to our flag and to our country” and that “owners should do something.”
A week ago, just six players protested. Most of the players on Sunday locked arms with their teammates — some standing, others kneeling — in show of solidarity.
Great solidarity for our National Anthem and for our Country. Standing with locked arms is good, kneeling is not acceptable. Bad ratings!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 24, 2017
A handful of teams stayed off the field until after the national anthem to avoid the issue altogether.
Trump also offered his own take on the players and coaches who chose to lock arms on the field during the anthem, describing it as a display of “solidarity” that he approved of. And he pushed back against the suggestion that his critique could inflame racial tensions, arguing: “I never said anything about race.”
After a week dealing with weighty international issues at the United Nations General Assembly, Trump seemed to relish the moment, which he started with comments at a rally Friday night and continued on Twitter throughout the weekend.
Unity pic.twitter.com/wSNsc4BSEV
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) September 24, 2017
In addition to attacks on NFL players, he also rescinded a White Houseinvitation for basketball player Stephen Curry, a star player on the NBA champion Golden State Warriors.
On Twitter Sunday night, Trump continued to press his case against politically charged athletes, saying: “sports fans should never condone players that do not stand proud for their National Anthem or their Country. NFL should change policy!”
White House aides and allies said Trump remains confident that his supporters are strongly behind his attacks on kneeling players, a practice that started with a handful of players to protest a number of issues, including police brutality against black people. As criticism rolled in, supporters argued the president was not targeting African-Americans, but simply expressing patriotism.
Surreal scene here in Nashville as entire #Seahawks, Titans teams including coaches, staff, all players skip national anthem pic.twitter.com/UCdANOKdAV
— Gregg Bell (@gbellseattle) September 24, 2017
“It’s a perfect example of where the president gets it right,” said Christopher Ruddy, the CEO of Newsmax and a long-time Trump friend, who said team officials and the news media were not in line with much of the country. “It’s a win for him at the end of the day.”
Some allied groups were quick to take action. The pro-Trump political non-profit America First Policies released a Facebook ad with the tagline “Turn off the NFL.”
Trump has had a history of engaging in racially fraught battles, from his promotion of the false story that the nation’s first black president, Barack Obama was not born in the US, to his campaign proposal to temporarily ban Muslims from the country.
He drew condemnation last month for saying “both sides” were to blame for violence between white supremacists and their opposing demonstrators during clashes in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Some longtime supporters of Trump distanced themselves this time, notably New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. In a statement on Sunday, Kraft said he was “deeply disappointed by the tone of the comments made by the president.”
He added that there is “nothing more divisive than politics” and said he supported players’ “right to peacefully affect social change and raise awareness in a manner that they feel is most impactful.”
Trump shrugged off the comments, saying: “he’s a good friend of mine and I want him to do what he wants to do.”
Critics argued the president had waded into an unnecessary — and potentially damaging — battle.
“There’s no upside here except he may stimulate some excitement by the base,” said former Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele.
“I think it’s the president’s way of continuing his reality TV presidency.”
Trump began his latest tirade during a raucous campaign rally in Huntsville, Alabama, on Friday evening before thousands of cheering fans.
The president’s attack on athletes turned the anthems — usually sung during commercials — into must-watch television. In some NFL stadiums, crowds booed or yelled at players to stand. There was also some applause.
The NFL and its players, often at odds, used Sunday’s anthems to show unity.
The protests started more than a year ago when former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick refused to stand during the anthem as a protest of police treatment of minorities.
This season, no team has signed him, and some supporters believe NFL owners are avoiding him because of the controversy.
Defensive star Von Miller was among the large group of Denver Broncos who took a knee in Buffalo on Sunday, where Bills running back LeSean McCoy stretched during the anthem.
“We felt like President Trump’s speech was an assault on our most cherished right, freedom of speech,” said Miller, who normally steers clear of politics and social issues.
Dozens of more players protested before the Oakland Raiders-Washington Redskins game, the final one of the day and not far from the White House in Landover, Maryland.
All but a handful of Raiders sat on their bench and seven Redskins took a knee while their teammates stood arm-in-arm along with owner Dan Snyder and president Bruce Allen.
In Chicago, the Pittsburgh Steelers stayed in the tunnel except for one player, Army veteran Alejandro Villanueva, who stood outside with a hand over his heart.
Both the Seahawks and Titans stayed inside until after the national anthem was over in Nashville, a throwback to the pre-2009 NFL when teams, not the league, set pre-game policy regarding players standing on the sideline for the anthem.
JUST a handful of NFL players had been continuing Kaepernick’s protest this season, but that ballooned following Mr Trump’s two-day weekend rant.
It began with the president calling for NFL protesters to be fired and continued on Saturday when he rescinded a White House invitation for the NBA champion Golden State Warriors over star Stephen Curry’s criticism.
Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady was among the New England Patriots who locked arms in solidarity in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Aaron Rodgers did the same with his teammates in Green Bay.
“Standing with locked arms is good, kneeling is not acceptable. Bad ratings!” Mr Trump tweeted on Sunday.
The issue reverberated across the Atlantic, where about two dozen players from the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Baltimore Ravens took a knee during the playing of the US anthem at Wembley.
“We stand with our brothers,” Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs said. “They have the right and we knelt with them today. To protest, non-violent protest, is as American as it gets, so we knelt with them today to let them know that we’re a unified front.”
Jaguars owner Shad Khan and players on both teams who were not kneeling remained locked arm-in-arm throughout the playing of the anthem and ‘God Save The Queen’.
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