As the NBA, the NHL, and MLB grind toward an eventual return, the National Women’s Soccer League became the first American sports league to take to the field during the pandemic. On Saturday, the 22 players of the North Carolina Courage and Portland Thorns wore Black Lives Matter T-shirts and kneeled during the national anthem.
It was an unprecedented moment in American sports, and it provides another data point in advance of the NFL season.
More leagues will play more games between now and September 10; if the gesture of the players on the Courage and the Thorns becomes the norm, kneeling during the anthem during NFL games will be regarded not as shocking but as commonplace. Which will take considerable steam out of the attacks that will be made on NFL players, coaches, etc. for kneeling.