Poll - Majority of Voters Believe NFL Kneeling Isn't Unpatriotic
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
A majority of Americans do not believe taking a knee during the national anthem is an inherently unpatriotic act, according to a new poll released by Quinnipiac University .
NFL players, as you may have heard, have spent the last 20 months or so embroiled in a controversy over kneeling during the national anthem. While the players have consistently tried to push the message that the protests are meant to bring attention to systemic racism, outside commentators — including the President of the United States — have reframed the protests as a mandate on patriotism — i.e., stand or you’re unpatriotic .
Not so, say 58 percent of American voters. That’s the percentage who indicated that NFL players who kneel in protest aren’t being unpatriotic by doing so. The poll split along ideological lines; 70 percent of self-identified Republicans say that the players are indeed unpatriotic, and white voters split 46-46 percent on the issue, but all other party, gender, education, age, and racial groups fell into the “not unpatriotic” category.
Do athletes have the right to protest on the field?
Voters indicated by a 53-43 margin that professional athletes do indeed have the right to protest on the playing field; the question of whether a protest is “at the appropriate time” is one objection that opponents often raise. This question fractures sharply along party lines; 82 percent of Democrats say the players have the right to protest, while 81 percent of Republicans say they do not.
Along racial lines, 85 percent of black voters and 67 percent of Hispanic voters said players have the right to protest, while 53 percent of white voters said they do not.
A recent Yahoo Sports/YouGov poll found that a majority of fans support the NFL’s new anthem policy . This, of course, does not contradict the Quinnipiac survey; it’s possible to both support a policy that mandates individual expression in the workplace and also not believe that individual expression is unpatriotic. The Quinnipiac poll found similar support for the anthem, and 51 percent oppose the NFL fining teams for protests during the anthem.
“Voters are clearly torn on the national anthem issue. They seem to be saying, ‘You can still love your country and kneel during its anthem,’ but the NFL’s new ‘must stand’ mandate is fine with them, too,” said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll, in a statement. “As for teams that defy the new rule, Americans say, ‘Don’t throw a flag on them.’”
The big picture
It’s important, as always, to keep in mind a few key facts: the so-called “anthem protests” aren’t really protests of the anthem itself, they’re protests designed to bring attention to questions of social injustice and police brutality. The protests don’t interrupt game play, they don’t stop traffic, they don’t physically inconvenience anyone, and they don’t last any longer than the two minutes or so it takes to sing the national anthem.
While many Americans do see any form of protest during the anthem as dishonoring the flag — which, like protesting, is a perfectly valid and worthy belief — anyone who’s ever been to a game knows that during the anthem, there’s plenty of talking, beer-buying and bathroom visiting happening in the crowd … none of which qualifies as “respectful anthem behavior.”
The anthem issue won’t be going away any time soon, especially because President Trump has a tendency to use it as a rallying point for a percentage of his base. But in any situation, more information is always better, and this poll is one bit of information that breaks the protesters’ way.
The Quinnipiac poll surveyed 1,223 voters from May 31 to June 5, with a margin of error of +/- 3.4 percentage points.
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In my mind, the men who kneel are in fact being the best kind of American: one who takes a real risk in order to advance the rights of others. Colin Kaepernick lost his job, so all the others know the same could happen to them. They know their careers are short - they have to earn a max as quickly as possible. And yet, they risk all that to express their outrage at the ease with which young Black men are killed... without the slightest repercussion.
I'd like to think that this poll shows that there are other Americans who feel as I do.
Except they are employees demonstrating on company property on company time. This pointless petulance has not gone over well with the fans and viewers and the people in stands who would prefer political demonstrations stay off the field of play. The players have failed to make a legitimate point and many have jeopardized their careers. Kaepernick's playing days are over. Perhaps he should get a haircut and get into politics.
Perrie does not allow images of dead people... which prevents me from showing you "petulance"...
Author called off topic {SP}
No.
They would be photos of men killed for no valid reason.
What has that got to do with Trump complaining about it? He does not own a football team.
In related news, thanks to Trump, millions of weddings have been called off when the women found out that the were actually being disrespected during the proposal. History shows that the disrespect of kneeling during a proposal has been taking place for over a century. Kings and Popes have also realized the degree of disrespect they have also received when people have kneeled in their presence. /s
The problem is that Kaepernick stated outright that his kneeling wasn't in respect, but in protest of police. That is why kneeling is now disrespectful. Someone got a lot of air time and support from others whom were protesting the very people protecting them and the fans every time a game was taking place. That is also why I have stopped watching the NFL as I have family in law enforcement. I will not support people protesting my family.
Problem is that he stated that the kneeling was to show his protest of police killing black men and women, NOT DISRESPECTING THE FLAG! Your own statement shows that there was no disrespect toward the flag.
Did Kaepernick lose his job? or did he opt out of his contract to become a free agent?
Most NFL teams (management and coaches) do not like having a player on the team that brings a media circus with them - it disrupts the team dynamic .. or so I have been told
Off topic SP
Removed for context
So it is your position that Kaepernick lost his job with the 49ers because of his protest during the anthem and not his opting out of his last year of contract to become a free agent - during which time the reins of power were handed off to new leadership?
.. never understood the taking of a knee during the anthem in order to draw attention to the oppression of and the all to frequent deaths of blacks (people of colour) by law enforcement .. perhaps it is Kaepernick that needs a good deal on a bridge? He is the one that does not believe in a system that oppresses people of colour - so therefore he refuses to vote... (?) some role model or best kind of American .. how does one exact change in a country like America without voting against that which one does not believe in?
No response necessary!
Mocking the dead.
Class act!
the majority of people who watch football disagree and that is all that matters
football is not ruled by democracy... but is ruled by the rules of capitalism.
football is a business and every business will cater to their majority customer base or go out of business - it is that simple.
"Voters are clearly torn on the national anthem issue. They seem to be saying, ‘You can still love your country and kneel during its anthem,’ but the NFL’s new ‘must stand’ mandate is fine with them, too,”
One thing isn't inclusive of the other.
Sounds like the few "Other Groups" in the miniscule Poll is nothing more than someone wanting to have two incompatible things.
"Even the most fickle are faithful to a few bad habits."
Mason Cooley
While I do believe that anything other than respect does infer a lack of patriotism, that patriotism is not what the republicans seek. They are driven by nationalism and it masquerades as patriotism because calling it nationalism would raise eyebrows and make it hard to protect the ideology, don't forget if the republicans of today had won there would be no United States but rather a colony of Britain.
What was truly unpatriotic and just plain shitty was FOX News displaying photos of the Eagles players kneeling in prayer while bashing them for not going to the White House as if they were kneeling during the anthem which they never did. Only true pieces of crap on a deplorable media station would pull something so dishonorable and fraudulent.
Interesting choice of question phrasing.
Bet it would flip the other way if you asked it something like this:
Do you approve of kneeling during the NA?
Most people i know feel the way i do about it. They fully support his right to do it but didn't like that he did it.
I still don't .... never will. IMO there are much more respectful ways to get a message like that across.
I haven't been to a football game in a very long time. Like... Johnny Unitas...
But I go to several NBA games every year. I think the National Anthem is anything but patriotic. Half the men keep their caps on. The hot dog and beer sellers continue to hawk their wares. Late arrivals make their way to their seats. The singer tries to find some vocal pyrotechnics in order to distinguish themselves from the forty other singers that season.
That's not "respect for the nation". That's merchandising.
It's like the dozens of flags flown by the car dealerships....
Anything that's rendered ordinary is... ordinary...
You have a very different experience than i. I go to sporting events all the time, mainly college stuff but quite a bit of MLB games each year as well.
Other than the occasional dumbass, nearly everyone stops and pays respect during the NA. Most men take their hats off, sometimes us Vets leave them on to render a hand salute, vendors stop etc, etc.
Perhaps its a regional thing. Here in the Midwest .... thats how it goes.
Locked due to suspension ending Sunday afternoon.