NFL’s weak week two coincides with Kaepernick-Nike Emmy win

You just don’t mess with the National Anthem.

As children we learn this pretty quickly.  Your hats are removed, you stand at attention, and you use these few precious moments to remind yourself that this nation wouldn’t exist if not for the bravery and sacrifice of others.

This is a sacred time at a sports arena, much like saying Grace at the Thanksgiving table; we know that we’re about to have a great time, but we go to great lengths to be grateful of that opportunity.

This is why Colin Kaepernick’s anthem-kneeling protest was so powerful and so offensive.  It hit us right in the heart, in a place where we ought not tread so flippantly.  It was as though someone started a protest chant during Grandma’s pre-dinner prayer.

And when the NFL chose to stay out of it, Americans of all political stripes took notice.

Even all these months later, the National Football League has yet to recover.

All those empty seats https://t.co/5XnvHObSkm

— Coco?JK long hair enthusiast (@rosegoldsjm) September 15, 2019

A ton of empty seats in the Coliseum halfway thru the first quarter. There's a sizable Who Dat crowd here. pic.twitter.com/2ZIIbvLYUh

— Doug Mouton (@DMoutonWWL) September 15, 2019

Lots of empty seats in Miami 10 minutes before kickoff. The people that are here are mostly Patriots fans pic.twitter.com/5im4ZdkMxQ

— Ryan Hannable (@RyanHannable) September 15, 2019

Half empty seats in the sun and a sea of red jerseys, looks like @LevisStadium #49ers pic.twitter.com/ODrKNkfeyb

— Will Clifford (@wiclifford) September 15, 2019

It wasn’t just the attendance that was lacking either, as the NFL has continued to suffer in television viewership as well.

NBC:  SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL had a preliminary 5.3, which was down 1.3 from last week’s early number, and also down 0.9 from 2018’s Week 2 preliminary rating.

Meanwhile, the team at Nike won an Emmy Award this week for an advertisement featuring the aforementioned Kaepernick.

Nike’s controversial “Dream Crazy”ad, narrated by and starring former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, won an Emmy Award for best commercial at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards on Sunday.

The commercial, which first aired in September, features Kaepernick waxing philosophical about the nature of sports, human achievement, and social justice.

The commercial climaxes with the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback saying, “Believe in something even if it means sacrificing everything.” He concludes the commercial saying, “Don’t ask if your dreams are crazy. Ask if they’re crazy enough.”

Just weeks ago, Kaepernick intimated that he was ready for another chance in the NFL via social media, posting a detailed workout regimen that the former second-stringer was allegedly adhering to.

He remains sidelined as of this writing.