Kneeling NFL players will help Republicans in November

If National Football League players continue their protests during the national anthem this season, it will rile some Republican voters, increasing their intensity and making it more likely that they will vote. At a time when Democrats want their candidates to be less controversial and let dissatisfaction with President Trump carry them into office, continued protests by NFL players will force the issue back into the public spotlight and onto the campaign trail, where Democrats will mostly have to side with the protesters.

With the NFL’s regular season starting in about two weeks, the debate over these protests is sure to find its way into more and more campaigns. And it comes at a time when the NFL is dealing with an image crisis for its handling of domestic abuse and long-term head injuries (plus rule changes that slow the pace and thrill of the game). As the FiveThirtyEight analysis points out: "Patriotism. Free speech. Race. Politics. President Trump. There are a lot [of] hot-button issues that intersect in the NFL protests.” But collectively, these issues have been reduced down to a bumper sticker — standers vs. kneelers. That is a net positive for Republicans.