MONEY.
In the end it is all about money. Credit to Stephen A. Smith for pointing this out and VICE broke it down even more.
Here’s what Curran had to say on August 29th:
It’s a tribute to the NFL’s ability to drape itself in the flag that nobody even realizes that – prior to 2009 – players being on the field for the national anthem wasn’t even standard practice.
…
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy confirmed this morning the practice began in 2009, adding, ‘As you know, the NFL has a long tradition of patriotism. Players are encouraged but not required to stand for the anthem.’
Add in the fact that the NFL received millions of taxpayer dollars from the Department of Defense and the National Guard for patriotic displays, and it puts the entire Kaepernick hullabaloo in a different light. “Fans should have confidence that their hometown heroes are being honored because of their honorable military service, not as a marketing ploy,” Senator John McCain, the Vietnam War veteran and P.O.W., saidin a statement last year coinciding with “Tackling Paid Patriotism,” a joint oversight report released by McCain and his fellow Arizona Republican Senator John Flake.
MILLIONS.
NFL doesn’t care about the anthem or the flag, they cared about money. So, when you booing players for kneeling against racial injustice, just remember what it is really about.