Finally, the NFL Makes the Right Call

Genevieve Wood /

The NFL took a big step this week in making football great again.

They announced that, starting this next football season, players and personnel coming onto the field will not be able to kneel or otherwise protest during the national anthem.

Now it’s true they said that players can stay back in the locker rooms. But you know what? That’s fine. If players want to stay there until it’s time to come onto the field and do what they’re actually paid to do—play football—that’s OK with me. And if too many players from your team decide to hang back in the locker room—well, you know what, there’s 31 other teams you can pick from.

Now we could all say the NFL should have come to this decision a little bit earlier, but the fact is they finally made the right call. I’m sure lower TV ratings and declining ticket sales helped them make their decision. But a win is a win. And at the end of the day, this is a win for football fans who want to come watch a game, not political protests.

But more importantly, it’s a win for America. Because while we believe in freedom of speech, we should all respect the flag that represents that very right.