Why Fan Reaction to NFL National Anthem Protests Is About Racism, Not Patriotism

There's one thing that people on every side of the national anthem debate should agree on about the pregame tradition of singing the anthem: Up until Colin Kaepernick made it a big deal, few people still thought that it was a big deal. As of August of last year, the anthem was not being given respect in the way that it is currently being represented by the millions of Americans who claim to be appalled by those who choose to sit, kneel or make a statement of protest during the song’s moment of attention before every NFL game.

All of a sudden, countless football fans claim that those two-and-a-half minutes before the game is actually more important than the game itself. Some fans now claim they'll tune out and stop watching altogether because owners and commissioner Roger Goodell would dare "allow" players to do anything other than fall in line, regardless of how peaceful the protest may be. Even Donald Trump, a noted longtime football fan who owned a USFL team in the mid-1980s and eventually led the charge to that league's quick demise by challenging the NFL for a quick buck, thought it his duty to implore his supporters to stop watching and going to the games. 

But until Kaepernick was seen sitting during the anthem before the 49ers' third preseason game of last season, fans went about treating the national anthem like they always had: Many did give it attention and respect, but many more went to the bathroom; or they saw it as snack-and-beer time; sent less-than-important text messages; and few would go out of their way to tell someone else to stand or remove their hats. The only time each year that a wide audience even paid attention to the field during the anthem was before the Super Bowl, in which case millions could be either eagerly listening for embarrassing mistakes or hoping to make a little money off of it by betting how long the singer would take to complete the song.

The factoid that 72% of Americans are against the kneeling, sitting form or protest – which has been creeping up in coverage – is, in fact, from a September 2016 Reuters poll in which 72% of responders said they found it to be "unpatriotic" while 61% disagreed with the protest itself. Meanwhile, a SurveyMonkey poll from the same time reported that 44% didn't support Kaepernick’s protest compared to 29% who did and 27% who were unsure.

But 64% of people in the same Reuters poll and 60% in the SurveyMonkey poll also said that they didn't think Kaepernick should face any punishment for it. Most may have disagreed, but they also may have respected his right to do so. These polls were also conducted at the beginning of the movement, and plenty has changed in the year since they were released, including how many others clearly support and sit with Kaepernick, even when he cannot sit himself since he remains out of the league.

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