There’s a revolution brewing in America, and it isn’t on the field of play against President Trump.
It’s in the stands and in the homes across America.
Networks who’ve paid millions for the rights to air NFL games are taking a massive hit in the wallet as viewers are turning off the tube in droves leaving advertisers demanding refunds.
And it’s now gotten so bad in the stadiums that networks are ordering camera operators not to take wide angle shots of the crowds during the national anthem to avoid showing how many of them are booing the players and coaches for kneeling.
At the end of the day, whether sports or elections, one thing remains true: the people still call the shots.
Here’s more from Redstate…
Aesthetics are everything to a message, and it wouldn’t do well if the networks showed the NFL kneelers — the media’s latest favorite fad — receiving boos and disapproving shouts while it was going on.
That’s why networks ordered camera crews that were filming Sunday and Monday’s NFL games to avoid shots of the angry crowds insider sources told Michael McCarthy of Sporting News:
One behind-the-scenes TV staffer at another stadium told Sporting News that camera operators were ordered to avoid crowd shots in case they showed fans counter-protesting the protests.
NBC Sports, CBS Sports, Fox Sports and ESPN pay billions each year to televise live NFL games. The league saw this weekend’s unprecedented anthem coverage as a golden opportunity to demonstrate unity among players, coaches and owners — and opposition to Trump’s comments.
Of course, in today’s era, when everyone and their dog has a camera that can display anything to everyone at that very moment, that “golden opportunity to demonstrate unity” narrative was bound to collapse faster than a house of cards in a wind tunnel.
What really went on in the stadium during Sunday’s game can be clearly seen thanks to a video by the Associated Press. Fans can be heard booing loudly as players knelt or sat during the anthem. Shouts of “stand up” can also be heard.
WATCH: Patriots fans boo their team during anthem protest in wake of Trump’s comments. More from @arniestapleton: https://t.co/5dfjstwRJs pic.twitter.com/kvLmSzG28w
— AP NFL (@AP_NFL) September 24, 2017
