A transformed NFL?
Down the street near Roger Goodell’s house in Bronxville, New York, where there once was a gentleman’s agreement to make sure that houses that went up for sale were vetted by a local society to make sure the right people would buy them, are Black Lives Matter signs. Bronxville would be one of the last places in the United States where you would see that sign. But life has changed and Goodell’s NFL, if it is again to place a product on the field during the pandemic crises, is changing. The league has not rehired Colin Kaepernick but make no mistake the NFL knows which way the wind is blowing and changes are taking place. The league took notice of social protests following the George Floyd death in Minneapolis in May at the knee of a police officer.
In June, Goodell put out a statement that the NFL was wrong in not listening to the concerns of African America players and encouraged employees, the players to speak out on issues. Goodell’s statement also included, “we the National Football League believe that black lives matter.’ Whether it was a cosmetic statement or not, the NFL is making changes. Some of the league’s marketing partners want the Washington NFL team’s brand name gone as soon as possible. Normally it takes time to rebrand a team name along with the team logo but it appears a new name is coming and that could happen by the start of the season, if there is a season. The league may also include the playing of “Lift Ev’ry Voice And Sing” which is also known as the Black national anthem as part of the pre-game package that includes the Star-Spangled Banner and colors. It appears the NFL doesn’t care anymore about presidential criticism about players’ protesting during the national anthem. A change is gonna to come.
