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Trump loses 2 pivotal allies in his anti-kneeling crusade: NASCAR and the NFL
Politico/Yahoo! Sports ^ | June 14, 2020 | Meridian McGraw

Posted on 06/14/2020 8:54:59 AM PDT by Stravinsky

Donald Trump has long had two cherished American institutions standing beside him as he railed against athletes taking a knee during the national anthem: NASCAR and the NFL.

This week, they both started to walk away.

Bending to the cultural moment, NASCAR and the NFL in recent days reversed course on their approach to athletes protesting racial injustice. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said he had been wrong for not listening to protesting players earlier and encouraged “all to speak out and peacefully protest.” Meanwhile, NASCAR relaxed rules barring kneeling during the national anthem and banned Confederate flags from its events. Within days, a NASCAR driver was circling a track in a race car emblazoned with #BlackLivesMatter and a NASCAR official was taking a knee during pre-race ceremonies.

The moves came in response to the protests that have erupted across the country in response to the killing of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man who died at the hands of the Minneapolis police. And they reflected shifting cultural attitudes — polls show an increasing percentage of the population view racism as a big problem in the country and the protests as a justified response.

Yet Trump stood his ground. He attacked Goodell, wondering whether the commissioner was telling players “that it would now be O.K. for the players to KNEEL, or not to stand, for the national anthem, thereby disrespecting our Country & our Flag?” And he separately lashed out about a blossoming discussion about renaming military bases named after Confederate leaders.

The changing tenor from the two leagues could be pivotal for Trump, though. The president has long leaned on the front offices of each organization as he has publicly attacked athletes who took a knee during the national anthem, and privately pressured some team owners to change anthem rules.

(Excerpt) Read more at sports.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: chatforum; concerntrolls; corporatecommies; culturalrevolution; fakenews; getthisoutofnews; liberalagenda; meridithnotmeridian; nascar; nationalfelonleague; nfhell; nfl; nofansleft; notnews; politico; pollutico; sports; tds; trump
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To: odawg

‘ I don’t think, based on its actions, the NFL was ever an ally in the knee bending. Just the opposite.’

Well, except that they were always an ally in knee bending to the anthem/disrespecting tge flag.


101 posted on 06/14/2020 10:25:54 AM PDT by stanne
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To: angmo
These corporations such as JC Penney, Target, Gillette, and Dick's Sporting Goods have all been losing market share to competitors for some time with no end in sight.

NASCAR, the NFL, and the NBA have all been losing market share to other entertainment industries for some time with no end in sight.

What else is such a loser to do except add Virtue Signaling to their business line?

102 posted on 06/14/2020 10:26:16 AM PDT by T.B. Yoits
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To: GOPJ

No, he’s not. This is just one more mean-spirited piece of crap written as if there’s ‘concern’... The NFL will never get back to it’s hayday - and either will NASCAR...


Sports media is no better than CNN these days. Stalinist ideology prevails there.


103 posted on 06/14/2020 10:26:17 AM PDT by lodi90
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To: Reily

“ BS ! If people reacted negatively in any significant way to the behavior of the NFL, NBA & corporate SJW behavior the corporations wouldn’t do it.

We were tested last NFL season and we failed. Some of us like myself stopped watching but the numbers were not enough to effect the bottom line.

We have power we’re just too fragmented to use it effectively.“

100% correct. This is correct.


104 posted on 06/14/2020 10:27:43 AM PDT by stanne
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To: Republican Wildcat

Because the Left targeted the Corporations for takeover.

Communism is just another form of Capitalism, it’s a question of who control the Capital.


105 posted on 06/14/2020 10:28:39 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: Stravinsky

The NFL lost itself a few years back.

NASCAR fans who support Trump aren’t going anywhere.

Pffht.


106 posted on 06/14/2020 10:29:32 AM PDT by SaxxonWoods (Just sit in your house until the food stops coming and then starve. You'll be safe.)
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To: Leep

“ NFL may be more important to some than God? No matter what they do people keep supporting them.”

The NFL is absolutely more important than this country to every wimpy person who sat in those stadiums after witnessing our flag get disrespected

There is no way around that fact.


107 posted on 06/14/2020 10:31:15 AM PDT by stanne
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To: AlaskaErik

There are sadly, even here, far too many addicted fans of both.

Football is stupid and NASCAR isn’t real racing.


108 posted on 06/14/2020 10:32:48 AM PDT by Spktyr (Overwhelmingly superior firepower and the willingness to use it is the only proven peace solution.)
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To: Stravinsky

“Trump loses 2 pivotal allies in his anti-kneeling crusade: NASCAR and the NFL”

Negative! This will backfire on the gutless NASCAR & NFL. It certainly will energize his base.


109 posted on 06/14/2020 10:35:12 AM PDT by kenmcg (tHE WHOLE)
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To: Stravinsky
I can't tell you how rarely I see NFL apparel. I used to see people wearing it all the time and not just during the season; commuters going to work wearing their favorite teams' hats, kids out and about. I'd see stickers on cars and flags in front of houses but it's been several years, even before the kneeling started, that I've seen a mere fraction of that level.

On rare occasion I see someone walking in the city with a jacket but when they get closer it's clear they're a foreign tourist. I suspect there was a window of time where the manufacturers were dumping excess apparel overseas knowing they couldn't sell it here.

110 posted on 06/14/2020 10:35:52 AM PDT by T.B. Yoits
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To: Stravinsky
Didn't I see some races recently with empty stadiums?

Get used to it.

111 posted on 06/14/2020 10:38:23 AM PDT by lewislynn (THE PROBLEM IS NOT YOUR COLOR...THE PROBLEM IS YOUR ATTITUDE)
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To: Stravinsky
Meanwhile...

Dire Social Justice Repercussions: ESPN Viewership Sinks To 41-Year Lows

Pivotal allies, huh?

SNORT.

112 posted on 06/14/2020 10:38:23 AM PDT by mewzilla (Break out the mustard seeds.)
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To: T.B. Yoits

Great post. Here’s the reality all these sports leagues are facing: Unless something changes dramatically for them, none of them will be signing a future TV contract that’s more lucrative than the one they have now.


113 posted on 06/14/2020 10:42:14 AM PDT by Alberta's Child ("We're human beings ... we're not f#%&ing animals." -- Dennis Rodman, 6/1/2020)
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To: Stravinsky

The NFL was never his ally.

I hope NASCAR fans punish them or ignore them in droves. Let’s see them enforce the rule of no stars and bars.


114 posted on 06/14/2020 10:43:21 AM PDT by Kozak (DIVERSITY+PROXIMITY=CONFLICT)
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To: Kozak
The NFL was never his ally.

Especially since he owned a USFL Franchise. Heck, that's how I heard of Trump in the first place.

115 posted on 06/14/2020 10:44:00 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: Stravinsky

Question; Has Trump lost the NFL and NASCAR or have the NFL and NASCAR lost many of their fans.

“Modern” politics is about finding wedge issues that divide groups. Many Democrats think this is a great wedge issue in dividing NFL and NASCAR fans. Rather being almost all for Trump, they are hoping to cut the Trump support in half in these groups. I don’t think it is going to work. In fact I think that the real losers will by the NFL owners and players along with NASCAR owners, racing syndicates, and car sponsors.


116 posted on 06/14/2020 10:45:25 AM PDT by Robert357
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To: Stravinsky

They lost America.


117 posted on 06/14/2020 10:47:06 AM PDT by fortheDeclaration
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To: Stravinsky

Nope. Hoax headline.

NASCAR and NFL lost mass audience in their kneeling campaign.


118 posted on 06/14/2020 10:52:32 AM PDT by LS ("Castles made of sand, fall in the sea . . . eventually" (Hendrix))
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To: Stravinsky
I never knew the NFL was one of Trump's allies. Trump has been bashing NFL execs for the last 4 years for the Colon Krapnick kneeling garbage.

Fake news

119 posted on 06/14/2020 10:53:49 AM PDT by BP1001
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To: McGavin999
Do they know there is a difference between the NFL NASCAR organizations and their fans?

That's bigger than the difference that usually exists between union leadership and membership. Especially with NASCAR.

120 posted on 06/14/2020 10:59:44 AM PDT by Pearls Before Swine
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