Colin Kaepernick refusal to stand during the national anthem has caused a firestorm among the fans.  The media thus far has been more varied in its opinion. 

Being a private entity, the NFL has wide latitude in controlling how the league is presented.  The owners have invested the commissioner with many powers to deal with such issues.  The commissioner has already made many decisions related to player expression.  Players cannot wear non-approved apparel.  They may not display non-approved messages, even honoring deceased loved ones.  The league vigorously supports breast cancer awareness by both verbal and visual means.  However, a recent attempt to honor the police was denied.  We now have a pro quarterback making a political statement.

Athletes have made such statements in the past, the most significant being an expression of Black Power during the 1968 Olympics.  For the most part, these demonstrations have been rare. 

Athletics has been seen as entertainment, a respite from everyday problems.  It has been used for political purposes for thousands of years.  Roman emperors are the best example of using games to help control the population.

Athletics in the USA has allowed people of all political persuasions to get together and enjoy the common goal of winning and cheering the home team.

In entertainment, it is important not to alienate potential audience members.  Unfortunately, in America today, everything is political.  Even science has been corrupted to advance a political objective.  Education has morphed into propaganda.

It has reached sports and how they are covered.  A former athlete wearing a dress is as important as the latest scores.  This brings us back to the NFL.  Roger Goodell has the power to get Kaepernick to stand for the national anthem.  This is consistent with previous decisions the commissioner has made in making players present in a uniform fashion.  If he does not, he risks letting the controversy worsen in the same way as occurred at the University of Missouri, where a protest by football players escalated, resulting in mass demonstrations with the firing or resignation of university personnel and a subsequent drop in freshman applications.

The motion picture industry has discovered that taking radical liberal views alienates conservative people resulting in lower revenues.  The NFL commissioner may think his product is so irresistible that he can diss conservatives without consequence.  I am a proud Pittsburgh Steeler fan.  However, I will not be made sport of.  I will withdraw my support as I have of several of my alma maters since they have drifted too far left.