Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

Reaser wrote:

Mark L. Ford wrote:I imagine that the end game eventually will be that the anthem will be performed before the players come out of the locker room, the way it was before 2009. There was never a reason that they had to be put on display to begin with.

Players weren't always in the lockerroom before 2009, as anyone who's ever watched football knows. Just from watching football I've seen players lined up standing for the anthem from the 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's. Including Preseason, regular season, and obviously the post-season. Plus of course went to a lot of games in the 80's and 90's and players were out for the anthem then, too.

I get that the disingenuous agenda/memes going around claim players never were out for the anthem before 2009 and/or weren't out for the anthem ever in the history of the NFL until the NFL took money for it. That isn't the case, at all. Huge difference between it didn't (or implied, "never") happened and it being made uniform league-wide.

Not to mention the anthem before football games goes back decades and is part of various levels of football. I imagine most here that played high school football (maybe different for some of our more experienced members?) lined up and stood for the anthem before every game. I know my team did and literally every high school football game I've been too in my lifetime they had the anthem with the players lined up.

SixtiesFan wrote:In the 1970's, the players were standing for the anthem before games. When the Bills were on ABC Monday Night Football in 1973, the camera lingered on O.J. Simpson standing at attention, singing along. That was the year O.J. went over 2000 yards, and it's always stuck in my memory.

During those years, it was often mentioned that Bud Grant, as coach of the Vikings, had his players stand at attention during the anthem.

Reaser wrote:

SixtiesFan wrote:In the 1970's, the players were standing for the anthem before games. When the Bills were on ABC Monday Night Football in 1973, the camera lingered on O.J. Simpson standing at attention, singing along. That was the year O.J. went over 2000 yards, and it's always stuck in my memory.

During those years, it was often mentioned that Bud Grant, as coach of the Vikings, had his players stand at attention during the anthem.

Years ago when I was reading about Rozelle I read that he warned the Oilers that they would face punishment if the players didn't stop chewing gum and fidgeting during the anthem.

Citizen wrote:I won't speak for Mark, but I don't think he was claiming players never stood publicly for the anthem prior to 2009. Players and teams always had the option to do so, and back when kickoff would instantly follow the anthem, they stood because they were on the sideline anyway.

What changed in 2009 is that players started appearing in the sidelines for the anthem during prime-time games, which they hadn't generally done before since a commercial break and announcer chatter would take up time prior to kickoff. The "paid patriotism" angle, and the fact that networks are now more likely to televise the anthem, amped up the pressure -- unofficial, but still present -- on teams to be on the sideline for the anthem.

It's a de facto mandate, which makes it a nice, fat sacred cow ripe for spearing by protesting players.

ChrisBabcock wrote:Who had the better 4th season of his career? Dave Grayson vs. Kenny Easley. Discuss....