Why NFL Player Protests are Bad for Everyone

Player Protests Costing NFL Fans and Money

By Jose De La Fuente, Staff Writer

By now, every NFL fan has heard or is aware of the controversial protests happening in the NFL. Former San Francisco 49ers Quarterback, Colin Kaepernick is the person responsible for popularizing this protest movement as he first began kneeling during the national anthem about a year ago, before the team let him go. The whole concept of the NFL players kneeling or in some cases not even coming out of the locker room during the national anthem is based around the “Black Lives Matter” movement. Players kneel in protest to things like police brutality, racism, and the president’s actions and opinions.

Now, here are the facts; NFL ratings were down about 10% for the first three weeks of the season, which started Sept. 7, with about 15.8 million viewers compared to 17.6 million during the first three weeks of 2016, according to Nielsen data and USA Today. From a business perspective, that translates into millions of dollars that the NFL misses out on. There is a reason that one who started all this, Colin Kaepernick, is not on an NFL roster right now. There is a reason that the NFL is losing money and fans while the NBA is gaining both. There is a reason why millions of families no longer getting together to watch Sunday football.

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The so called “protest” NFL players are participating in, is at its core, just disrespectful. Yes, every American citizen has the right to protest to whatever they please, however, there is a point at which it goes too far. Millions of U.S military men and women have given their lives to protect everything that the U.S flag represents, and for what; So NFL players can stretch and warm up during the national anthem? I don’t think so. Again, I am not knocking the reason NFL players are protesting, I am knocking the manner in which they do it. There are countless other places and actions players can take to protest, however, on a football field is not one of them. The football fans of America watch the NFL for entertainment, not to witness their country being disrespected on live television.