Apparently, it’ll take more than booing fans, half-empty stadiums, and collapsing TV ratings before the NFL gets the message.
New reports show that the NFL is planning to bankroll a two-day “social activism boot camp” for professional athletes in February after the current football season ends.
Jim Trotter of ESPN first broke the story, stating: “The league has agreed to finance a social activism boot camp at Morehouse College in February.” He added, “Organizers of that curriculum will work with the players throughout the year to try and teach them to get their message out and be most effective with it.”
The “boot camp” will reportedly be open to all professional athletes, not just NFL players.
The NFL has seen its favorability plummet after President Donald Trump criticized the protests first spawned last year by now-former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, which involved kneeling during the National Anthem.
After Trump’s comments, the protests quickly grew—but so has fan backlash. Nationwide, the NFL has seen both their stadium attendance and TV ratings plummet—and, according to a recent poll, the NFL is now the nation’s most-hated professional sports league.