NFL owners are meeting today to discuss what to do about the national anthem protests causing all kinds of controversy and trouble for the once most popular sport in the nation. Fans are angry, ratings are down, and attendance is even becoming an issue now.
The NFL should probably take notice of what one local roofing crew did over the weekend when they heard the anthem break out while they were hard at work.
The workers were on a job that happened to be next door to a local high school. The crew was busily working away on a Saturday when they heard the patriotic tune break out. They had no idea anyone was around, which makes their reaction all the more touching.
Reporter David Charns spoke to a person who apparently saw the scene unfold:
Shanon Gurski Dixon says, “They had no idea anyone even noticed but our community did. Several people had taken pictures of this patriotic act of kindness. We started sharing it on FB and Twitter to find out who these men were so we could thank them. We have all 3 names and the name of the company the work for. It turns out they were doing independent work that day, but they are roofers by trade and all work together for a company out of Oakland Maine. Our little city would love to have them recognized!”
Here’s the full recap and patriotic photo, from Michelle Lyons Cossar via Charns:
These three men were doing roof work next to Waterville High School this Saturday when they heard the national anthem…
Posted by David Charns WMTW on Monday, October 16, 2017
The three men in the photo work at a company out of Oakland, Maine but happened to be doing independent work that day.
The NFL is likely by now taking notice to the strong reactions people are having to the anthem protests, in particular instances such as this. They really have a major PR disaster on their hands, when you consider the reason patriotic photos such as this are going viral is because they are a visceral response to the frustration fans have at NFL stars who refuse to stand.
That’s not an association the NFL wants, but it’s one they may be stuck with no matter what they do. If they force players to stand for the anthem, no one will view it as genuine patriotism because they don’t want to do it. If they continue to protest or skip the anthem altogether, it will continue to further the anger many feel when seeing people turn their backs on the country that has given citizens and the globe so much good.