After the San Francisco 49ers won its Oct. 27 National Football League game against the Dallas Cowboys, their star defensive lineman, Nick Bosa, appeared in a post-game media segment wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat in violation of the league’s uniform rules.
The NFL has avoided overt political messages since former 49er Colin Kaepernick’s anthem protests against police brutality against Black Americans. But what are the implications of a white player displaying an overt political message right before the United States presidential election?
Kaepernick received heavy media scrutiny and was very quickly exiled from the NFL for his protest and the apparent “distraction” it created. The power of the backlash Kaepernick faced was surprising, given that Democrats and Republicans are just as likely to be avid sports fans, with no meaningful differences in the strength of their fandom.
