According to a report from Politico, decisions by the NFL and NASCAR to get behind the Black Lives Matter movement is a snub to Donald Trump who has come to depend on fans of the two sports to support his candidacy.
With NFL commissioner Roger Goodell admitting the league has been wrong in clamping down on players expressing their passion for justice for all Americans, and the NASCAR banning the display of Confederate flags at events and allowing kneeling during the national anthem, the two sport powerhouses have parted ways with the president who has attacked the displays calling attention to the plight of African-Americans.
The reports states, "The changing tenor from the two leagues could be pivotal for Trump, though. The president has long leaned on the front offices of each organization as he has publicly attacked athletes who took a knee during the national anthem, and privately pressured some team owners to change anthem rules. Trump has also relished NASCAR’s historically conservative, Southern fanbase, praising them for being 'patriotic Americans' and serving as the grand marshal of the Daytona 500 earlier this year. At rallies, he has praised racing fans for standing during the national anthem, and cursed at NFL players taking a knee."
According to analyst and columnist LZ Granderson, the latest announcements represent a sea change in the relationship between the president and the two organizations.
“The shift is really going to put a damper on one of his favorite playbooks,” explained Granderson who has been covering both sports during the BLM protests. “People who didn’t give a damn before won’t give a damn now, but the people who view themselves as nonracist, they just aren’t going for that rhetoric anymore.”
As has been previously reported, Trump grabbed onto former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick for taking a knee during the playing of the National Anthem, saying, "Get that son of a bitch off the field,” during an Arizona rally -- much to the delight of his fans.
Now with the leagues putting distance between themselves and the president's racist rhetoric, the president no longer has the NFL and NASCAR stances on protests to use as a political cudgel.
"The president, according to an official, is expected to continue to stump against kneeling during the anthem, believing it works to his political advantage," Politico reports with spokesperson Tim Murtaugh stating, "Kneeling during the national anthem is a slap in the face to the men and women of the United States military who defend our freedoms, many of whom make the ultimate sacrifice."
However, one top sportswriter said the president missed his chance to moderate his stance with public opinion changing.
“He completely missed the boat,” said Rick Reilly, a former Sports Illustrated and ESPN contributor. "It’s like somehow his cable that comes into the White House is set in 1962, he’s so far behind. This is a watershed moment and he’s lost. It’s like your grandpa who thinks Joe DiMaggio is still playing.”
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