New Season, New Policies For The NFL

With guest host Celeste Headlee.

The National Football League’s preseason starts tomorrow. And the furor over players protesting during the national anthem hasn’t gone away.

Back in May, the NFL said it would require all players to stand for the anthem. But the following month, the league hit pause.

Vox explains it this way:

With the regular NFL season slated to begin in September, the league finds itself in a position where it has only managed to anger both protesting players and those who oppose them. As owners and players enter a new round of discussions, there's a chance that it can work with players to find a better solution. But even if that better solution is reached, the league will have to deal with the fact that it became engulfed in a PR nightmare of its own making.

Jerry Jones, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, will require his players to stand for the anthem, and won’t allow his players to remain in the locker room.

The president, per usual, had a comment.

Way to go Jerry. This is what the league should do! https://t.co/yEP1jK57xi

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 27, 2018

So, what’s ahead for the NFL this season? And what’s behind the politicization of the pastime?

Produced by Avery Kleinman. Writeup by Gabrielle Healy.

GUESTS

Patrick Hruby, Freelance sports journalist; @patrick_hruby

Lindsay Gibbs, Sports reporter, ThinkProgress; co-host, Burn It All Down podcast; @linzsports

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