Ethics of patriotism: NFL players’ protests against police violence

de, Jeffrey Montez; Suh, Stephen Cho

doi:10.1177/1012690218825210

Cited by 23 publications

(62 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…In doing so, the protest movement, seeking to address large and complicated structures of racism that permeate the whole of U.S. society, could be rearticulated within the established arguments surrounding patriotism, “love for the country,” and respect for governing structures that often animate partisan political discourse. Quite simply, the protests were transformed, at least in the eyes of many critics, from a call for justice to an embrace of political division (Montez de Oca & Suh, 2019; Sevi et al, 2019; B. Smith & Tryce, 2019; L.…”

Section: Politicizing the Protestsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Incorporating the Protests: The NFL, Social Justice, and the Constrained Activism of the “Inspire Change” Campaign

Rugg

2019

Communication & Sport

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On January 11, 2019, the National Football League (NFL) launched “Inspire Change,” a campaign for the league’s social justice efforts. The campaign, which would serve as the umbrella under which the NFL’s US$89 million social justice partnership with the players would be housed, launched with its own website, hashtag, commercial, and documentary series. This article textually examines the “Inspire Change” campaign and its associated media materials, contextualizing it against the kneeling protests carried out by Colin Kaepernick and other NFL players as well as the NFL’s reactions to those protests. In doing so, I argue that NFL’s response to its players’ call for social justice is at once a strategic expansion by the league that seeks to capitalize on the emergent activist power of professional players to build the league’s brand as an authoritative and inclusive American institution contributing to social good. At the same time, however, under withering criticism from President Trump and conservative media, it reestablishes league control over the voice of rebellious Black players by subsuming their social justice efforts under the auspices of a campaign that evades the ideological confrontation of the kneeling protests in favor of a more positive, market-friendly version of “justice” based in calls of unity.

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Section: Politicizing the Protestsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Incorporating the Protests: The NFL, Social Justice, and the Constrained Activism of the “Inspire Change” Campaign

Rugg

2019

Communication & Sport

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“…That is, mirroring racial/ethnic and political divides in public sentiment on a range of social issues, substantial racial/ethnic and political partisanship gaps have become apparent in public opinions about current events in sports (Druckman et al, 2016;Intravia et al, 2020;Knoester and Ridpath, 2020). In large part, these racial/ethnic differences seem to be a function of distinct levels of perceived racial/ethnic groupness, or "linked fate," as well as disparate recognition of racial/ethnic inequalities and commitments to social change among especially Black and White adults (Dawson 1994;Kam and Burge, 2019;Montez de Oca and Suh, 2020). Political elites have contributed to the racialization and politicization of sports issues in efforts to activate, build, or preserve political coalitions, as well as to create or ward off changes to the status quo (Agiesta 2017;Bivens 2017;Druckman et al, 2016;Intravia et al, 2018;Weems and Singer, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Public Opinions About Paying College Athletes and Athletes Protesting During the National Anthem

Allison¹,

Knoester²,

Ridpath³

2021

Du Bois Rev.

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Drawing on insights from Critical Race Theory and framing theory, as well as previous research, this study ties together and analyzes public opinions about two racialized and politicized sports-related issues: (1) the financial compensation of college athletes, and (2) athlete protests during the national anthem. Consequently, we highlight racial/ethnic identities, racial attitudes, and political identities as predictors of these public opinions. Data for our analyses come from a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults who were surveyed just prior to the 2016 presidential election. Descriptive results suggest that well over half of U.S. adults opposed having the NCAA pay college athletes; also, about two-thirds of adults viewed athlete protests during the national anthem as unacceptable. Regression results reveal that Black and Latinx adults were more supportive of paying college athletes and athlete protests during the national anthem than White adults. Other people of color were also more likely than White adults to support paying college athletes. Racial attitudes such as a lack of recognition of racial/ethnic inequalities in education and support for Black Lives Matter also shaped public opinions about these issues in expected ways. Finally, we find that political identities were linked to public opinions about these issues even after accounting for racial/ethnic identities and racial attitudes. Overall, this study documents public opinions about these prominent sports-related issues just prior to the 2016 election of a President who particularly racialized and politicized sports issues. Even then, these sports-related issues had been similarly filtered through both a White racial frame that encourages colorblind racism and a counter frame that promotes antiracist activism. Altogether, the present study offers further evidence of how sports provide cultural terrain for individuals to enact and negotiate racialized and politicized views of sports and society and illustrates how these processes were reflected in public opinions in 2016.

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“…It is about respect for our country, flag and national anthem, (the) NFL must respect this" (Beauchamp, 2017, p. 2;Bryant, 2020;McDonald, 2020). In contrast, others have offered support for Kaepernick, been activated by his calls for reform, and viewed athlete protest actions during the national anthem as a social justice and human rights issue (Bryant, 2018;Hartmann, 2019;Intravia et al, 2018;Montez de Oca & Suh, 2019).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In contrast, we use quantitative research methods to not only contribute an additional set of descriptive results, but also more rigorously consider the potential influences of social structural and other contextual forces on public opinions about this issue. These include rarely considered attitudes about racial/ethnic discrimination and sports nationalism, as well as rarely studied identities linked to religious affiliations and military service-in addition to more typical indicators of background characteristics and political values (Intravia et al, 2018;Marist Poll, 2017;Montez de Oca & Suh, 2019).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Should Athletes be Allowed to Protest during the National Anthem? An analysis of public opinions among U.S. adults

Knoester¹,

Ridpath²,

Allison³

2020

Preprint

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America is unique in its celebration of nationalism in sports. U.S. athletes have also historically protested, particularly racial/ethnic inequalities, at sporting events-- especially during the national anthem ceremony. Since 2016, attention has centered on Black NFL players, and others who have been inspired by them, protesting during the anthem against unjust police violence and other racial/ethnic inequalities. These actions have prompted discussions about these issues, but also discussions about why the protests may have been inappropriate. This study, using descriptive and multiple regression analyses of data from the National Sports and Society Survey (N = 3,993), examines public opinions about this issue. Results suggest that public opinion is now more supportive of athletes being allowed to protest during the anthem; although, considerable opposition persists. Black individuals and those who recognize racial/ethnic discrimination in society are especially likely to support the right of athletes to protest. Heterosexual, Christian, sports fan, and military identities seem to encourage opposition to the right to protest. Indicators of traditionalism and sports nationalism attitudes are also negatively associated with support for athlete protests. Overall, these results help to better contextualize and understand the controversy over whether or not athletes should have the right to protest during the national anthem.

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Ethics of patriotism: NFL players’ protests against police violence

Cited by 23 publications

References 41 publications

Incorporating the Protests: The NFL, Social Justice, and the Constrained Activism of the “Inspire Change” Campaign

Incorporating the Protests: The NFL, Social Justice, and the Constrained Activism of the “Inspire Change” Campaign

Public Opinions About Paying College Athletes and Athletes Protesting During the National Anthem

Should Athletes be Allowed to Protest during the National Anthem? An analysis of public opinions among U.S. adults

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