This past weekend, many of the NFL players went to "war"
with President Trump over his remarks made Friday at a rally in Alabama. In
addition, they carried it out to the field by kneeling, or not kneeling during
the National Anthem.
This action on the part of the players is technically in violation
of a league rule regarding the conduct of players during the Anthem. But, considering
how the league responded last year with the Kaepernick protest, the players
knew that no penalty would be forthcoming.
We like to think that as our creative social media agency
trademark promises, “We Evoke Emotion.”
However, it occurred to me this past weekend and to many
Americans, be they be football fans or not, that the growing controversy around
kneeling, or not for the National Anthem is unwittingly sparking a passionate
debate about each of our own interpretation of patriotism.
But as compared to our “evoke” trademark, kneeling or not kneeling
is “provoking” emotion. That's an
important difference. And more than anything else, it’s a sign of the times.
It’s a bit ironic that the new Ken Burns documentary about the
Vietnam War hopes to give each of us “an opportunity to have a better position
to understand what’s going on [today].
He doesn’t stop there. According
to the Washington
Post, “The filmmaker wants his
new documentary, “The Vietnam War,” to bring the country together.”
I’m not sure how that’s remotely possible, in this or any other
political climate.
As compared to other forms of government, ours technically has 3
separate but equal branches of government, the executive, the legislative and
the judicial. And since Jefferson, it’s
always had at least 2 dominant political parties. A loyal opposition, if you will that requires
compromise.
However, one takeaway from the recent Burns documentary, between
then and now is that the domestic fight took place on college campuses. Today, with all-volunteer armed forces, it’s
highly improbable our educational institutions will be the “field of play”
again, at least on this latest provocative issue.
So, for better or worse, the war is being waged in our nation’s
sports arenas. One could make a case,
going back to the legendary (violent) days of the Roman Coliseum that this type
of public space is uniquely made for this.
Certainly, sports have always been an iconic type of activity that
political views seeped on to the field.
But what makes this new tussle different, is that it surrounds our
national anthem and the first Amendment, right of freedom of speech.
In the last two elections, social media acted as the field of play
between our nation’s feelings about each candidate. We also learned last week that Russia, a 3rd
party outside both our government, our media and our country also had joined
the Facebook fight.
According to Lincoln, our government “of the people, by the
people, for the people” doesn’t necessarily include sports leagues, which have
their own forms of government.
Across the league, there is division among the
players what actions, if any, should be taken. Generally, most teams had a mix
of standing and kneeling (or sitting) while the National Anthem was played or
sung.
Even the owners of respective teams are divided on
what actions would or would not be taken against the players for violating
league and team rules.
Madison Avenue Social isn't taking sides in this
discussion, but we are highlighting how responses over a social media comment,
or a stance, can become emotional and foster a real discussion, over that
comment, or over an action taken in protest to said comment.
We are in the first quarter of this patriotist
game. In the end, the fans may or may
not speak their support or displeasure for or against the players' position by
TV ratings and by "cheeks in the seats".
Until the networks complain about how much money
they are losing, or stadium concession revenue drops significantly, the NFL may
remain silent on the actions of the players. Too early to tell. Until then, be assured that this will be an
emotional issue for the fans and the players in 2017.
But make no mistake. Each side is no doubt
“provoking,” not “evoking” the other.
Frank McHale is the Chief Operations Officer of Madison Avenue Social
#WeEvokeEmotion
No comments:
Post a Comment