Racial Violence and America's Game: Opposition to the NFL Anthem Protests

• In Event: Poster Session: Public Opinion & Ideas, Knowledge and Politics
  In Poster Session: Poster Session: Public Opinion

Abstract

The NFL anthem protests have divided the country for the past two years. The protests were denounced as disruptive and as an unwanted politicization of sports. Opposition to the anthem protests was furthermore justified as a patriotic act, while proponents of the protest suggested that this opposition is a form of racial resentment. However, little empirical evidence exists with which to analyze opposition to the anthem protests. This paper aims to fill that void. To understand the NFL anthem protests and their relation to politics, this paper explores the history of the connection between sports and politics in America, and across the globe. Drawing on symbolic politics theory, this paper shows that opposition to the anthem protests is not merely rooted in racism, as most assume. Utilizing a fresh set of survey data, I find that opposition to the anthem protest can better be explained by nationalism. Moreover, I discuss why it is important to show that opposition to the anthem protest is fueled by nationalism, rather than patriotism. The paper sheds much-needed light on the intersection of sports, race, and politics, a long-neglected area in political science.

Author

• Sebastian Mayer, University of Washington