Tragedies That Changed The NFL Forever

No one needs a refresher on the tragedy of September 11th, 2001. But while many football fans might remember that the NFL canceled upcoming games after the attack, fewer know how the league was affected in the long term.

NPR explains how a Senate report from 2015 detailed approximately $7 million of taxpayer money making its way from the Department of Defense budget to the NFL and other sports leagues to sponsor something that the report's authors called "paid patriotism.'" What exactly was paid for isn't obvious, but it included things like holding swearing-in ceremonies on the field for armed service members and for special performances of patriotic songs like "God Bless America."

According to NPR, Congress banned paid patriotism in 2015, but by then, the NFL had become a major platform for patriotism and activism more broadly. In 2016, it turned into a national conversation, with Colin Kaepernick's decision to sit for the national anthem as the focal point. When other players followed suit, some fans saw it as the height of patriotism, while many others thought it was the opposite. Either way, using the NFL's visibility to bring attention to other issues had become a trend that no one, including the league itself, had the power to stop, and it continues to this day.

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