This season, in support of Kaepernick, more NFL players have joined the protests, including for the first time, white players. And this growing united front caught the attention of President Trump.
Trump has turned the players’ protests into a wedge issue. This is part of an old playbook from the right to increase their support by attacking civil rights protesters.
But in attacking players last weekend, the president, who uses his bully pulpit to simply be in the news, unwittingly changed the narrative of the protests. His attacks woke up a black labor force that had been placated by a long demand to shut up and play. After Trump’s remarks, it was clear the players would react. People suspected the protests would be a televised demonstration against police brutality. Black players would kneel in defiance. And in doing so, by refusing to stick to sports, this would also be a shot at the owners who had demanded their deference.
But ahead of this past weekend’s games, a number of the same owners who have likely colluded to keep Kaepernick out of their league joined the athletes in their protest. To be clear, although they went to the field and linked arms, owners like Jerry Jones, Dan Snyder, Arthur Blank, and Shahid Khan did not join the protests. They co-opted the protests and turned the day into a “mere picnic.” The protests that started out as a demonstration against systemic racism turned into a pacified demonstration for free speech, patriotism, and unity.
What the owners were protesting is hard to tell. In their proclamations, these owners used words like “unity” to explain their newfound passion for protests. Dan Snyder, the owner of the Washington football team, told reporters he joined the players to honor armed forces and “bring unity.” But unity is a false promise when you’re donating a million dollars to a misogynist who sides with white supremacists. That’s cowardice.
Unity is recognizing that black players on your team have had their lives altered by systemic racism. Unity is understanding that police brutality has been an ongoing fight for black Americans since emancipation. The owners’ statements should have addressed those historical realities.
These signs of solidarity, however, intentionally play into America’s desire to see moments of interracial brotherhood. As Americans, we eat this stuff up. It soothes our souls and acts as a moral evasion of America’s ills.