So far none of the Celtic players or staff have participated in the latest National Anthem protests before any preseason game. If it happens I hope it doesn't become a major distraction. Drawing attention from the media and possible fan backlash could lead to discord in the locker room.
Judging from what we are seeing in the NFL there hasn't been any fines or punishments for these actions. (It's a free country.) On the other hand, NFL TV ratings are down 10%. The most influential reason for this is thought to be the Presidential elections. Still, rumblings are being made that the kneeling protests have turned off some fans and may be influencing ratings. The networks are worried because a 10% ratings drop mean a huge loss in revenue.
With TV revenue being of paramount importance to an NBA team's ability to pay these skyrocketing salaries I'm wondering if these types of protests will be addressed in the new NBA collective bargaining agreement. Anyone think so? I say there will be some ruling made on this point.
I think there are other reasons.
1. Peyton Manning's retirement - guy was an ambassador for the game. Always a factor in the standings. Huge loss for the league, the Brady/Manning rivalry and narrative was enormous for this league.
2. Brady suspension - best player in the league out for 4 games. People love to hate him. They love to watch him. The league shot itself in the foot trying to undercut his credibility. The Pats mean everything to this league right now with Peyton's retirement. It also doesn't help alienating the Pats' huge fanbase.
3. Watered-down league - well, we have parity. Who outside of the Patriots looks like a real contender right now? I see a lot of muddled play around the league. Not a lot of fun teams to watch, not many teams to "get behind."
4. Poor QB play - Folks love watching good QB's battle. Brady out for 4 games, including a huge Sunday night game against Arizona. Oops. Peyton gone. Cam missing time. Ben missing time, the league losing that Ben/Brady matchup was very bad. Rodgers struggling. Brees struggling. Rivers is a joke. There are some good young QB's but they haven't accomplished enough to get noticed yet.
5. Horrible prime time matchups - how many times do we need to see the Redskins playing the Bears? Too many horrible big market teams (NFC east in particular) that no-one outside of their market wants to watch. Monday Night football is an effing joke. At best you get one good team, and they are usually playing at home for a big fat blowout. Thursday night football is even worse. Pigs get fat. Hogs get slaughtered.
6. Image problem - maybe for some it's kneeling for the anthem. I'd say that's a small percentage. I think it's more the NFL's overall brazen greed and hypocrisy. Goodell as a moral compass is a joke. They don't care about women, the flag, or anything. It's not that these things happen, it's that the league's position is so blatantly calculated and fraudulent. The military advertising/fake patriotism, all of it. What a sham. They are out of touch even for a Big Business. At some point all this nonsense makes an impact.