National anthem vs. normalcy: Trump’s mixed messaging on
return to sports
by W. James Antle III, Politics Editor August 12, 2020 08:56 AM
"President Trump has a message for professional and college athletes contemplating whether to suit up amid the coronavirus: Play ball — but only after the closing lines of the "Star-Spangled Banner."
"So, college football, get out there and play football. People want to see it. And stand for your American flag, stand for your national anthem, because people are not happy when that doesn't happen," Trump told reporters at the White House on Tuesday. "You look at the NBA and what's happening with the NBA and their poor ratings. I don't know; can't imagine why. But they didn't stand, they didn't show respect to our flag."
When it comes to the resumption of college and professional sports, Trump has an ostensible conflict between normalcy — one GOP operative said that "Make America normal again" would be his best possible reelection campaign slogan — and the national anthem.
"The NFL had its problems, two years ago, when that happened. They went way down in their ratings and their fans, and they struggled back," Trump said of the national anthem protests, which had dissipated but resumed following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody. Despite his continued public advocacy for the return of sports as a sign that the pandemic is under control, Trump told Fox Sports that he wasn't interested in seeing professional football if people knelt during the national anthem."
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https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/national-anthem-vs-normalcy-trumps-mixed-messaging-on-return-to-sports
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