Lopez Rewriting Activism: The NFL Takes a Knee - In Depth Notes

In September 2017, President Trump criticized NFL players protesting during the national anthem, labeling them derogatorily.
Following Trump's remarks, teams linked arms, knelt, or stayed in the locker room during the anthem, intertwining activism with what is typically a pro-military and patriotic spectacle.
The NFL faced branding challenges, as protests quickly became prominent during broadcasts, clashing with its traditional patriotic image.

Kaepernick's Protest (2016): Colin Kaepernick initially protested racial injustices by kneeling during the anthem, raising questions about the NFL's branding that historically emphasizes patriotism and ties to the military.
Public Reaction: Kaepernick's protests faced backlash, with critics labeling him anti-American, thus creating a tension between player activism and the NFL's branded identity as family-friendly and patriotic.

Brand Associations: The NFL brand is built on associations with the U.S. military, promoting narratives of heroism and patriotism, particularly heightened since 9/11.
MIME-NET: The relationship between the media, military, and entertainment (MIME-NET) has contributed to a normalized perception of militarism within sports.
Commodification of Race: The NFL commodifies its predominantly Black athlete labor force but sidelines expressions perceived as threatening to its established narrative.

Immediate Aftermath: The NFL concentrated on managing branding dilemmas, employing various strategies including statements from teams and league executives defending players while simultaneously reinventing their activism as supportive of league values.
- Statements emphasized players' characters and community engagement rather than addressing the core issues of racial injustice highlighted by protests.
Depoliticization of Activism: The NFL's portrayal of player actions aimed to dilute their political message about racism, shifting focus to unity and patriotism.
- Coordinated team actions included linking arms or remaining in the locker room, which lacked direct confrontation of racial issues, instead framing the situation within acceptable narratives.

Impact on Athlete Activism: The NFL's handling of protests demonstrated how corporate brands can co-opt and neutralize radical messages to maintain their image.
Free Speech and Respectability Politics: Player expressions were framed within a narrative of respectability, adhering to expectations of how marginalized communities should communicate their grievances, often minimizing the urgency and specificities of their causes.
New Policies: The NFL later established policies mandating player behavior during the anthem, further protecting its brand by ensuring compliance with its traditional values of unity and patriotism, revealing a commitment to maintain a facade of neutrality over addressing systemic racism.

The NFL's activities during the protests reveal the complexities of branding in sports, where corporate interests often supersede the voices of athlete activism. The case exemplifies a recurring theme in sports culture where activism can be absorbed and repackaged in ways that eliminate or dilute the intended social critique.