Talking About Politics in the Age of Trump: NFL Players, the Owners, and the Rules Governing Protests
The question, as originally posted, is: Do you feel as if the NFL’s updated national anthem policy is unfair? Several months ago, when I answered a question on Quora regarding this topic, I erroneously said that forcing NFL players - who are all adults and have certain inalienable rights as citizens of this country - to stand during the playing of the National Anthem if they choose to be on the field at such time during a pro football game is unconstitutional. I was disabused of this belief by Quorans who pointed out that such a policy is only unconstitutional if it is foisted on the players by any government official at any level, be it local, state, or federal. It’s not unconstitutional, apparently, if a business owner (in this case, the National Football League’s owners) tells employees (aka the pro football players) that they can either stay in the locker room while The Star Spangled Banner plays or stand with the team as a gesture of respect to the American flag.