ESPN Pledges to Televise the “Black National Anthem” and Players Protesting National Anthem

For the record, here is Barack Obama claiming that "there is not a black America, not a white America"... there is "only the UNITED states of America."

Would the Democratic party embrace his words today?

Polling suggests that Americans are unhappy with the way that major networks and the NFL have been handling the protests.

Yet... ESPN will be leaning into the controversy, rather than shying away from it.

According to The Blaze:

ESPN will televise any NFL players protesting the national anthem beginning on Monday — and will also feature the singing of the "black national anthem," according to reports.

Monday Night Football's Monday debut will likely be chock-full of protesters and will have two songs.

According to Front Office Sports, ESPN — which typically shows the honor guard and the singing of the national anthem — will have a decidedly different format this season.

The network also reportedly has plans to televise the singing of the "black national anthem," a song called "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing."

ESPN Executive Vice President of Event and Studio Production Stephanie Druley told reporters, "Our policy is to cover the anthem when it's newsworthy. That's not going to change. We are going to continue as we've done with the NBA and the WNBA. We will cover social justice movements, actions, as they happen. We're not going to shy away from that."

Druley added, "Look, we're going to keep our main rule, which is when it intersects with sports, we're going to cover it, and look, we don't see the social justice movement as being political. It's social justice."

When asked if viewers would be able to see the playing of the national anthem, Druley said she didn't know.

"We will make a judgment call every week," she responded. "But I can tell you that Week 1, that first game, you will see the anthem — and you will see 'Lift Ev'ry Voice.'"

According to the report, NFL players will "be encouraged to salute victims of police brutality by placing details with their names on their helmets."

"The league will also stencil social justice statements such as 'End Racism' and 'It Takes All of Us' in end zones this season," the report continued. "The league will play 'Lift Every Voice and Sing' before each game during opening weekend."

On Tuesday, CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus issued similar remarks.

"We don't forget the fact that the country is going through a lot of political situations with Black Lives Matter, social justice and social injustice," he said. "We're not going to ignore that. Obviously, we're going to address it in our pregame show, with interviews and features. But the coverage of the game, once we get to our game coverage, will obviously be focusing on presenting the action on the field. But we don't forget and we don't ignore those other two elements."

So far, it seems as though this movement is trying to divide us rather than unite us.

We should NOT have two national anthems.

The point of a national anthem is to UNITE all of us, regardless of gender, religion, or ethnicity!

That is the beauty of America!

Fortunately, some teams are beginning to fight back against the NFL...

Albeit, they've made some missteps, but at least their fighting back.

The Miami Dolphins decided to stay in their locker rooms during the black national anthem because they don't want "fluff and empty gestures.

Their mistake?

They also stayed inside for the ACTUAL national anthem.

ESPN confirms:

The Miami Dolphins have decided to stay inside during both "The Star-Spangled Banner" and "Lift Ev'ry Voice And Sing" during the 2020 NFL season, issuing a message Thursday demanding action rather than symbolic gestures in the fight against social and racial injustice and police brutality.

"Lift Ev'ry Voice And Sing," traditionally known as the Black national anthem, is expected to be performed live or played before every Week 1 NFL game, among other measures by the league to recognize victims of police brutality, a source familiar with the league's discussions previously told The Undefeated."

This attempt to unify only creates more divide. So we'll skip this song and dance, and as a team we'll stay inside," several Dolphins players combined to say in a 2-minute, 17-second video issued Thursday. "We need changed hearts, not just a response to pressure. Enough, no more fluff and empty gestures. We need owners with influence and pockets bigger than ours to call up officials and flex political power."

In the video, 18 Dolphins players -- both Black and white -- proclaim they are fed up with "empty gestures" being the result of the current movement for change, and demand that team owners get actively involved in creating political and legislative change. They also speak out about a need for prison reform, justice against police brutality, and an acknowledgment of "millions for pregame patriotism," which references the NFL receiving at least $5 million from the U.S. military for halftime salutes to soldiers the past decade.

xThe Dolphins are the first team to collectively make a statement regarding protest during the national anthem this season. Players involved in the video are: defensive linemen Christian Wilkins, Davon Godchaux and Shaq Lawson, offensive linemen Ted Karras and Jesse Davis, linebackers Kyle Van Noy and Elandon Roberts, safeties Bobby McCain, Eric Rowe and Kavon Frazier, cornerbacks Byron Jones and Jamal Perry, tight ends Mike Gesicki and Durham Smythe, wide receivers Preston Williams and Isaiah Ford, and running backs Matt Breida and Patrick Laird.

Hopefully more NFL teams begin to speak out against the conformity that is expected.

Enough with empty gestures.

Enough with platitudes.

And enough with trying to appease the mob.

We live in the greatest country on the world.

We should celebrate that instead of trying to destroy it.

The NFL has provided incredible opportunity for many Americans, especially black Americans.

The last thing we need is successful athletes telling us about hardships, challenges, and adversity!