The NFL might allow their players to kneel during the national anthem—but NASCAR is taking a very different approach.
Two of NASCAR’s most prominent owners, Richard Petty and Richard Childress, announced that they would not allow any of their employees to kneel before the national anthem before a race.
“Get you a ride on a Greyhound bus when the national anthem is over,” said Childress, in an interview with USA Today. “I told them anyone who works for me should respect the country we live in. So many people have given their lives for it. This is America.”
Petty had an even more hardline approach to would-be protesters: “Anybody that doesn’t stand up for that ought to be out of the country. Period. If they don’t appreciate where they’re at… what got them where they’re at? The United States.”
The protest, which was first started last year by now-former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, has continued to spread this year.
After President Trump publicly rebuked the protesters this weekend, the protests have massively expanded—with whole teams staying in the locker room for the national anthem and several owners joining their players in protest.
But despite the NFL’s solidarity with their players, fan reaction has been hostile. Fans of both the New England Patriots and Washington Redskins booed their players for kneeling. A noteworthy incident, considering that Boston and Washington are among the most liberal cities in the country.
In fact, a whopping 72 percent of Americans think kneeling during the national anthem is unpatriotic, according to a Reuters poll. Another poll by showed that just 29 percent of Americans support the protest.
It appears NASCAR is making the smarter business decision.
AAN Staff
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