For more than a year, NFL team owners have publicly OKed the decision of their players to kneel during the national anthem in protest. But two prominent NASCAR owners have taken a much different approach.
On Sunday Sept 24, players from: the Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins, Detroit Loins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Baltimore Ravens, and Jacksonville Jaguars knelt during the anthem. They were opposed by players who chose to remain standing, armed linked to together. Every single player from the Steelers, except one, –Steelers offensive tackle Alejandro Villanueva, himself a U.S. Army veteran, came out, hand over heart and helmut under his arm, as the anthem played but the rest of the Steelers had a brain freeze and didn’t even take the field during the anthem. The Seattle Seahawks and Tennessee Titans followed suit and stayed off the field.
What did they say?
Two of NASCAR’s biggest names, Richard Petty and Richard Childress, said on Sunday that they would not approve of any of their employees kneeling during the national anthem before a race.
Richard Petty, who holds the record for most number of wins in NASCAR, drew a line in the sand: “Anybody that (sic.) don’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.”
NASCAR is a very different sport than the NFL, NBA or MLB. Not only does the sport have deep southern roots, but its success, and the success of drivers and teams, centers around sponsorship. Companies pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to sponsor top drivers in just one race, so decisions that drivers and teams make in the public spotlight are very important. HERE.
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