NBC News’ Chuck Todd said Tuesday that the NFL sided with “white consumers” over “black consumers” by implementing a new national anthem policy.
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After a year of controversy over players kneeling on the field during the Star Spangled Banner, the NFL announced last week that they would require players to either wait in the locker room during the anthem or stand if they choose to be on the field. (RELATED: NFL Expected To Pass A Rule Requiring Players To Stand For The Anthem)
During a conversation on racism in America with fellow anchor Joy Reid, Todd asserted that the NFL was siding with its white fans at the expense of black fans.
“The NFL made a decision — now, it has to do with the anthem, but it splits across racial lines,” Todd said. “They picked the white consumer over the black consumer.”
“It’s the one corporation that seemed to pick one set of consumers over another like that. Why?” Todd asked.
“They did,” Reid confirmed. “They have a 70 percent black player base but they have an overwhelmingly white audience base in the stands buying those tickets.”