Jim Nantz has some thoughts on NFL National Anthem protests

CBS Broadcaster Jim Nantz is caught on a hot mic sharing cynical views about National Anthem protests.

Colin Kaepernick’s silent protest of the NFL’s pre-game National Anthem has sparked strong opinions from all over the political spectrum. He’s been decried as an “idiot”, but he’s also been written about intelligently, and he’s inspired players from other teams to follow his example or make their own statements. CBS broadcaster Jim Nantz, though, seems to have a more cynical point of view on the protests.

Video from a September 29th Thursday Night Football game between the Miami Dolphins and the Cincinnati Bengals has leaked in which Nantz, unaware that his mic was hot, is heard to say that players are “gonna keep kneeling as long as they have cameras right in their face.”

The implication is that the players are protesting for attention or good publicity rather than a sincere belief that their actions will make a difference in how violence against African Americans by police officers is handled.

His tone may sound dismissive, but he’s absolutely right, if not for the right reasons. NFL players are protesting the National Anthem for attention and  publicity. That’s the point of a protest: to draw attention to and raise awareness of an issue. Nantz could have said the same thing about the NFL’s pink flair during October to raise awareness for breast cancer: “they’re gonna keep [doing it] as long as the camera’s right in their face.”

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Nantz is one of the most polished, prominent names in sports broadcasting, so getting a look at what he thinks of an issue as divisive as players protesting the National Anthem is rare. In fact fellow broadcaster Bob Costas made waves in 2013 by slamming what he characterized as Nantz’s “gutless” coverage (or lack thereof) of Masters’ host Augusta National Golf Club’s history of racism and sexism:

“What no CBS commentator has ever alluded to, even in passing, even during a rain delay, even when there was time to do so, is Augusta’s history of racism and sexism. Even when people were protesting just outside the grounds—forget about taking a side—never acknowledging it.”

Nantz has now unwittingly taken a stand on a similar, if more highly publicized and controversial, protest. He’s already been defended by those who share his point of view; it will be interesting to see how he and CBS handle any potential negative backlash.