Yet they have capitulated to the movement by allowing the taking to the knee during the anthem.
I can only assume that they decided it wasn’t a hill worth dying on. Most people could care less about the pre-game activities. They’re out in the kitchen getting the beer or soda and their big bowl of munchies (hopefully a nice vege or fruit platter and not the amazing reuben dip that Peeps makes that turns dieters into piggies!) .
Although the sport is still immensely popular (I LOVE watching a good football game on a winter afternoon or evening, especially when the Bears actually win!), it is definitely in danger.
At the younger levels, parents are “just saying no,” alarmed by the studies that indicate the dangers (including early death) of repeated concussions. More schools are dumping football (very expensive) and starting soccer teams (EUUUGHH!–Peeps’ opinion of soccer!).
Soccer is definitely a more widely-played sport around the world, and there are plenty of opportunities for talented players, so it’s a win-win for parents (although I wonder if they will be as thrilled when they watch replays of those horrific soccer injuries in which the knee is bent in the opposite direction then it usually bends–shudder!).
A decrease in talented high school players means a decrease in talented college players, which make up the main recruiting field for NFL scouts. It’s entirely possible that future American football will actually look LESS spectacular than it looks today because of this decrease in talented recruits.
So why create a situation that may lead to a boycott of football by large groups of Americans? Let them kneel, and let the fans eat reuben dip until the game starts.