As a nation, we are divided in our politics. We are united in our love of football. Commissioner Roger Goodell hopes to keep it that way.
Asked recently about the potential impact of players speaking out about the upcoming presidential contest, Goodell tried to thread a very thin needle.
“it’s always a . . . difficult period in the country when you go through an election and I think it’s important to hear voices,” Goodell told Julia Boorstin of CNBC. “We support a program called NFL Votes. We ask our players, our teams, our partners to stand up and say to our fans, go vote, that’s a democratic way. That’s what we all support.”
But there’s a subtle caveat when it comes to the political process.
“We understand our platform,” Goodell said. “We understand, frankly, that we unite people, and that’s what we like to focus on. So, hopefully, we’re that harbor where people can come together and get away from politics or anything else and enjoy football for a day.”
It’s not an easy balance to strike. The league can’t say on one hand, “We fully support our players in the expression of their beliefs” and on the other, “Could you maybe not express your beliefs right now?”
While some will bristle at the notion of players injecting their views into the games and events around them (and preceding them), the NFL already does that, from the full embrace of America and the military and, since 2020, the messages on fields and helmets against racism.
When it comes to a major business like the NFL, everything has a strategy. The league hoped in the aftermath of Colin Kaepernick and, three years later, George Floyd to find a way to placate players without upsetting a vocal chunk of the fan base. That approach could be tested in 2024.
Goodell would rather it not be. He’s hoping for full compartmentalization. Whether he gets it remains to be seen.