Most of you probably heard that the NFL ruled this week that beginning next season players who don’t stand for the national anthem could be penalized and fined. I’ve already written about how I feel about the subject; I think the players should be allowed to protest peacefully. However, while it’s no surprise that Whites generally favor the new rule and Blacks generally do not, it might come as a shock that the group with the widest margin of those who favor the rule versus opposing it are Hispanics. According to a Yahoo Sports survey, 52% of Whites favor the new rule while 32% of Whites oppose the rule, and 29% of Blacks favor the rule versus 48% who oppose it. However, 49% of Hispanics favor the rule while only 19% of Hispanics oppose it. We can debate whether a rule that effectively requires grown men to stand for the national anthem is an accurate expression of patriotism, but the survey demonstrates something that not enough people appreciate and that is that Hispanics are among the most patriotic people in the country.
On Friday evening, the LA Dodgers won game one of the 2024 World Series over the New York Yankees in glorious fashion, with Freddie Freeman hitting a walk-off grand slam home run in the bottom of the 10th inning. For Dodger fans, the game could not have been scripted better...
I once read that sports are a universal language. Regardless of ethnicity or what language you speak, almost everyone speaks sports. No place has that been more evident than the Olympics, where every four years, we are moved by images of athletic rivals from around the world shaking hands and embracing each other in moving displays of sportsmanship.
The NFL markets its brand as well as any enterprise in the world. I heard a comedian once say that the NFL is so popular, it has its own day. NFL football is huge. Each NFL franchise brings in approximately $400M a year in revenue; almost double the annual revenue of NBA teams and 2 ½ times as much as MLB clubs.