Only 35% of African Americans feel positive when hearing the National Anthem at sporting events, according to a recent Friday poll.
A plurality of African Americans, 42% feel neither positive nor negative when hearing the National Anthem at sporting events, according to the poll conducted by The Washington Post and University of Maryland. Pollsters asked 1,500 randomly sampled Americans about their feelings on the National Anthem between March 12-18, with a margin of error of 3%.
22% of African Americans feel negative when hearing the National Anthem, the highest of any racial group polled.
How race affects Americans’ response to the national anthem at sporting events https://t.co/gdD3wZO4OJ
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) May 21, 2021
In contrast, 80% of white adults, 67% of Hispanic adults, and 67% of Asian American adults felt positive when hearing the national anthem at sporting events.
Professional athletes began kneeling for the National Anthem in 2017 to show support for the Black Lives Matter movement and opposition to then-President Donald Trump, although their efforts died down until the 2020 murder of George Floyd.
Players from all four major professional sports leagues knelt during games in 2020, drawing criticism from Republicans and some retired players. (RELATED: Several NCAA Players Take A Knee During National Anthem At March Madness)
In an attempt to avoid controversy kneeling, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban announced that his team would no longer play the National Anthem before games. The NBA later announced that all teams would be required to play the Anthem before games.