The eyes of the sports TV world Thursday will be on NBC as the network televises the 2017 NFL regular-season opener between the Patriots and Chiefs. With the controversy surrounding Colin Kaepernick's national anthem protest still raging, the network will televise the playing of the national anthem at Gillette Stadium.
NFL broadcast partners typically do not show the playing of the national anthem except before the Super Bowl, opening night or other special games; they are usually in commercial due to time constraints.
But the question of which players will be standing and which will be kneeling before this season's opener — and the rest of the regular season — is taking on added importance.
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Imagine the reaction if white stars like Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski of the Patriots, or Alex Smith and Travis Kelce of the Chiefs, support Kaepernick in front of millions of TV viewers. Although Kaepernick is still out of a job, his movement has been picking up steam.
A dozen members of the Browns, including one white player, knelt during the national anthem prior to an exhibition against the Giants last month. Unlike last season, more white players, such as Chris Long of the Eagles and Justin Britt of the Seahawks, have been supporting black teammates who choose to protest.
ESPN's Josina Anderson has called for quarterbacks like Brady and Smith to protest the alleged blackballing of Kaepernick. With the exception of the Raiders' Derek Carr showing solidarity with teammate Khalil Mack, Kaepernick's fellow QBs have been missing in action.
NBC told Sporting News that announcers won't shy away from covering any protests that occur during opening night.
"As in the past, we will televise the national anthem for select games, including the NFL Kickoff game and the Super Bowl, and, like last year, will cover activity around the anthem as news merits," spokesman Dan Masonson said.
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The other networks are also faced with the challenge of what to do if and when a player protests during a game. If the protest occurs during a commercial, do they come back and discuss it? Do they ignore it favor of game action? NFL announcers are not political analysts, and anything they say is bound to tick somebody off.
As before, CBS Sports won't televise the actual playing of the anthem, but the network's announcers, including the No. 1 team of Jim Nantz and Tony Romo, are free to weigh in where and how they see fit, according to spokesman Jennifer Sabatelle.
There are "no changes to the way we covered the anthem in the past," Sabatelle told SN. "If something happens during the playing of the anthem, we will document it. As always, our announcers are free to express their opinions.”
ESPN is still working through the issue as it prepares to kick off a stronger "Monday Night Football" schedule than usual with a Saints-Vikings/Chargers-Broncos doubleheader Monday.
"We are still finalizing our pregame plans, yet, like we've done in the past, we will document and present anything noteworthy and relevant to our audience," spokesman Josh Krulewitz said in a statement.
Sports commentators have their own solutions to the national anthem issue. A growing number of voices such as Max Kellerman and Tony Kornheiser of ESPN, and Dan Wetzel of Yahoo, are asking whether the national anthem should be abolished before NFL games. Kellerman outraged conservatives and #BoycottNFL fans by saying the NFL, not Kaepernick, is "injecting politics" into sports.
"He was asked to stand for the national anthem," Kellerman said. “You do not have to stand for the national anthem. And even if it was a rule that you did, is that Colin Kaepernick injecting politics in the NFL? No. That’s the NFL injecting politics by playing the national anthem and putting pressure on you to stand for it in the first place."