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Al Jazeera reports
The National Football League (NFL) announced a new policy that will fine teams an undetermined amount if players on the field fail to stand during the national anthem.
[...] The new policy does not require players be present during the anthem, allowing those who wish to protest and not attend the ceremonial act to remain in the locker room.
Players said they were not consulted and threatened to challenge the policy in the courts. A statement by the NFL Players Association said its athletes had shown ample patriotism by way of their social activism and community support initiatives.
[...] New York Jets chairman Christopher Johnson said he supported the measure out of obligation to the membership, but said players can take a knee or perform another type of protest without fear of repercussion from the team. He will pay their fines.
"If somebody [on the Jets] takes a knee, that fine will be borne by the organisation, by me, not the players. I never want to put restrictions on the speech of our players," Johnson said.
New York Magazine notes
The monetary risk to Johnson isn't huge, since no Jets players took a knee last season. [...] Johnson is currently acting as owner of the team while his brother, Woody Johnson, serves as Trump's ambassador to Britain.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 26 2018, @01:41PM (3 children)
It's a political problem. Sports' rules and organization represent the social structure of the societies that play them. Reducing the requirement of defensive gear will lower the entry bar for lower-income cities thus making the game more "democratic". You see a similar effect regarding game play length: Cricket is practiced in countries with a rigid class system that only the richest and most powerful can truly enjoy and practice. Soccer is found in parliamentary democracies where it's enough to devote a couple of hours a week to the game to be considered a loyal fan. Baseball and Football are in-between as they require working in an industry that lets you drop everything once a week for half a day and compete with Church attendance. Basketball is, time wise, the least committing sport perfect for lower-classes. Of course, this also works with what kind and what degree of physical talent / skill training the sport requires, the ownership and management model of the teams, the judicial hierarchy and referees, etc...
Once you put it altogether you'll start realizing a lot of the oddities about why sports are played the way they are in the places they are played. Of course, you might start hating certain sports when you realize how they brainwash people into accepting certain not-so-democratic rules and refereeing...
(Score: 2) by bobthecimmerian on Saturday May 26 2018, @03:14PM (2 children)
I'd argue the time commitment for soccer is equal to or even less than the one for basketball.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 26 2018, @06:41PM (1 child)
Basketball games are typically scheduled after working hours throughout the week with 2-3 matches a week per team. Soccer games are typically restricted to the weekends and are almost entirely limited to one match a week per team.
So, basketball demographics is people who work 7 days a week while soccer is people who work 5 days a week. That's to say, factory workers versus office workers. Which, I would argue, is a class divide in most countries.
Oh, and doctors and engineers are the exception that proves the rule as not being the target demographics or a numerically significant part of society. Or as the comedian shouted upon witnessing the solemn faces at the 3rd congress on otorhinolaryngology: "You're not my audience!".
(Score: 2) by bobthecimmerian on Tuesday May 29 2018, @06:04PM
Where did you get those stats? Soccer games happen all week long.