Political Expression in the NFL
When NFL commissioner Roger Goodell spoke following the murder of George Floyd, nobody would realistically have thought he would acknowledge systemic racism, racialized policing, or even say the words “race” or “Black.” In fact, he confirmed what most probably expected, releasing a forced statement on May 30 offering condolences to the families of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor while vaguely committing to addressing systemic issues with no clear details of what that could possibly mean.
But just a few days later, after furious discussion among NFL athletes about racism and police brutality, Goodell released another statement. “Without black players there would be no National Football League,” he said, “and the protests around the country are emblematic of the centuries of silence, inequality and oppression of black players, coaches, fans and staff.” Later, Goodell even encouraged NFL teams to sign the formerly rejected Colin Kaepernick.
While the league often excludes black players from expressing themselves, white players and coaches can easily express their conservative political beliefs without worrying about a petulant owner decrying them as emotional or illogical.
Beyond just Goodell, NFL teams and players are using this summer to embrace and popularize progressive values. NFL darling Drew Brees met criticism from his own teammates for shunning players like Kaepernick who kneeled during the national anthem. And to cap a stunning summer in the NFL, the franchise from Washington formerly known as the Redskins finally cut ties from its disgusting name.
To call the NFL’s dramatic turnaround surprising grossly understates the profound cultural change taking place in the league. For years, conservative owners like Dallas’s Jerry Jones and Washington’s Dan Snyder have dominated the NFL landscape and collectively undermined progressive players and coaches. Football revolves around a hyper-masculine culture that—until very recently—would actively suppress female coaches and referees from participating in the sport.
And while the league often excludes Black players from expressing themselves, White players and coaches can easily express their conservative political beliefs without worrying about a petulant owner decrying them as emotional or illogical. Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen’s pre-professional tweets notoriously used the N-word repeatedly and unashamedly. He only had to delete his tweets as punishment. Meanwhile, he still plays while Kaepernick remains without a team.
Yet at the same time, the NFL’s rampant conservativism no longer lines up with its changing clientele. Polling analysts at 538 studied trends and football enthusiasm among people of different political leanings and found the NFL’s fanbase among the most bipartisan sports fans in the country—an even split of the left and the right. The politics of the NFL’s fanbase differ from the politics of the NFL itself.
Beyond just the NFL, however, player activism can result in tangible, visible change in American discourse surrounding issues of not only race, but toxic masculinity, domestic violence, and unflinching patriotism.
Over the years, the league never hesitated to showcase this hypocrisy. When several players including Kaepernick kneeled to protest police brutality in 2016, conservative owners attacked them for using their platform for political purposes. These same owners and the league have their own political action committees and obsessively lobby politicians to grant the NFL tax-exempt status and even diverted money away from NIH and Boston University studies into head trauma.
Even when owners publicly declare that Black lives matter, their private convictions tell a different story. For example, even though Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross committed $13 million to fighting racial inequality, he hosted fundraisers for Donald Trump that raised $12 million, emboldening a president unafraid to fan the flames of racial tensions. Against such a dominant, hypocritical, and exclusionary conservative political culture, progress within the National Football League seemed impossible.
The right-wing ideology dominating the NFL—despite its fanbase and its player’s contrary opinions—makes the statements on Black Lives Matter and Washington’s name change seem like lip service, like words merely meant to quiet the disturbances in the NFL’s conservative status quo. Nonetheless, the mere act of pressuring the league to admit its errors on race represents a huge victory for not only Black players and coaches but for any player seeking to change a broken league culture.
At the same time, it should not excuse the NFL from upholding a culture rooted in masculinity, violence, racism, militarism, and unquestioning loyalty. From what happens on the field (from regular concussions to violent fights) to what happens off of it (regular accusations of domestic violence, DUIs, and sexual abuse), the NFL’s culture remains exclusionary and problematic, even amidst impressive progress. Resistance and activism by NFL players should continue if they want to continue changing the NFL’s backwards culture.
Beyond just the NFL, however, player activism can result in tangible, visible change in American discourse surrounding issues of not only race, but toxic masculinity, domestic violence, and unflinching patriotism as well. Kids (and even some adults) look up to famous athletes as role models, admire them for their attitude, and even wear jerseys to model them. Famous athletes have a massive platform, and until recently, that platform took the form of white quarterbacks touting conservative causes and failing to acknowledge their privilege. Now, as Black players gain increasing power and authority to discuss their issues, they can inspire others who are disillusioned with the dominant culture to speak out for themselves, too.