Early Sunday morning, just hours after Donald Trump urged for a boycott of NFL players for disobedient acts during the national anthem, players from the Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars knelt and linked arms during the pre-game national anthem in London. Trump sent out a series of tweets proclaiming that NFL teams need to punish their players for "disrespecting our Flag & Country".
Jacksonville Jaguars' owner Shahid Khan - who donated $1m (£740,000) to the Trump campaign - locked his arms with players in an unusual scene, as owners rarely join players on the pitch. Even NFL Commissioner Roger Goodall was quite unhappy about Trump's comments. He said Trump’s comments in Alabama revealed an “unfortunate lack of respect” for the NFL and its players.
Tensions Rising
This is a big controversy sweeping across the country right now. In a time of chaos and separation in the US, this strikes a cord with many, who may take either side of this stick. There are a great amount who have come out and said they agree with Trump, and an even greater amount who are disrespected and furious with his urge to boycott and punish players. During a time of global unrest, this was a mistake to stir up a domestic issue such as this. This is causing even more separation and anger than already exists. I think the NFL and the rest of the sports world are going to stand together to fight this proposed "boycott". If fans do choose to leave games if a player kneels during the national anthem, they have not only forgot why they attended the game, but they have also forget what the game is all about.