The crowd at the NFL season opener in Kansas City on Thursday booed as players took the field to deliver another social justice message before kickoff.
The moment: The Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs players, along with their coaches, linked arms on the field in what was billed as a “Moment of Unity.”
- Slogans like “We Believe Black Lives Matter,” “We Must End Racism” and “We Must End Police Brutality” appeared on the big screens in Arrowhead Stadium.
- The some 17,000 fans allowed into the “socially distanced” stadium responded with loud boos, and someone in the NBC broadcast can be heard shouting, “Trump 2020!”
Chiefs fans then performed the team’s traditional “tomahawk chop” chant, which is under review by the organization because of complaints of racial insensitivity.
- Headdresses and face paint were already banned from the stands this season.
How woke is too woke?: The minor fan rebellion followed a series of other gestures of support for anti-racism activism, which has exploded across the country following the May 25 death of George Floyd.
- “End Racism” was painted in both end zones, and during warmups, players debuted league-approved decals on their helmets with similar phrases or the names of black Americans killed by racist violence or during interactions with police.
- Pop singer Alicia Keys performed “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” aka “the black national anthem,” in a Black Lives Matter-themed music video featuring Colin Kaepernick that will play at every Week 1 game.
- Then, R&B duo Chloe x Halle, wearing racial-justice-themed T-shirts, sang a pre-recorded rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner,” which they concluded with a Black Power salute.
- During the national anthem, the Texans remained in the locker room; Chiefs defensive end Alex Okafor knelt on the sideline and raised a fist while his teammates stood.
The reaction: Some conservative commentators on Twitter expressed support for the fans’ reaction, while many liberals were appalled.
Radio host Mark Levin said, “Booing. Damn right.”
Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, said the Chiefs have “the best fans in the country.”
- “Don’t blame them for being tired of NFL/corporate woke politics jammed down their throats,” he added.
Meanwhile, journalist Touré, a former MSNBC contributor, condemned “perhaps the worst moment of fan behavior in American sports history.”
Texans defensive end J.J. Watt was among a number of NFL players who also expressed disapproval.
- “The moment of unity I personally thought was good. I mean the booing during that moment was unfortunate. I don’t fully understand that. There was no flag involved. There was nothing involved other than two teams coming together to show unity,” Watt told NFL Media after the game:
Baltimore Ravens backup quarterback Robert Griffin III tweeted disbelievingly about the fans’ behavior.
Former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver and Super Bowl champion James Jones called the booing “disrespectful” and “disgusting” in an interview with the NFL Network.
Et tu, NFL?: The NFL has joined the other major U.S. sports and much of corporate America in embracing the Black Lives Matter movement and, in some cases, national anthem protests.
- Games were postponed last month by the NBA, WNBA, MLB and other leagues after players walked out in response to the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
- But President Donald Trump, speaking for many conservatives, has continued to oppose Black Lives Matter and anthem protests.
