Analysis | Since the NFL anthem protests, white fans like the white players more - and the black one

Analysis | Since the NFL anthem protests, white fans like the white players more - and the black ones less.
ppinclude, racism, NFL, Colin Kaepernick, national anthem, Donald Trump, playoffs,
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San Francisco 49ers safety Eric Reid (35) and quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) kneel during the national anthem before an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sept. 12, 2016. (Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP) By Bethany Lacina January 19 at 7:00 AM White Americans prefer white NFL stars - a preference that has gotten stronger since some players began protesting during the national anthem. Among whites without a college education, black players’ popularity dropped - even if an individual player did not protest. Remember the anthem protests? In August 2016, Colin Kaepernick of the San Francisco 49ers, who is black, began protesting racial injustice and police violence - first by sitting, and then kneeling, while the national anthem was played before NFL games. Soon, a small number of fellow players joined in, most of them black. The protests were very popular with black Americans, with 74 percent approving in one 2016 poll - and very unpopular among whites, with 62 percent disapproving in the same poll. President Trump jumped into this issue, arguing in the fall of 2017 that team owners should fire players who would not stand for the national anthem. Trump voters’ opinions of the NFL plummeted. Between 2012 and 2017, the proportion of Republicans and independents who said they were NFL fans fell 12 and 15 percent. The league’s popularity among Democrats didn’t change. The controversy affected public perception of black and white players in different ways, according to consumer polling. Marketing NFL stars Every year, between the Super Bowl and the college players’ draft, Q Scores conducts a survey of NFL stars’ popularity. They measure players’ public appeal and sell that information to firms making decisions about licensing and endorsements. The surveyed group is representative of U.S. adults ages 18 to 64 in sex, age, race and region of the country. Respondents are asked if a player is “someone you have definitely seen or heard of before.” If the answer is yes, they’re asked if their opinion of the player is “poor,” “fair,” “good,” “very good,” or “one of your favorites.” A player’s approval rating is the number of people who ranked him good or better as a percent of the people who had heard of him. These surveys cannot tell us how popular NFL players are in general. The poll does not bother to ask about people who are obscure or widely disliked. The marketers know their business: In 2018, the included players’ median approval rating was a sky-high 85 percent. Black and white players’ popularity in 2015 vs. 2018 NFL stars are not interchangeable cogs. Even before the anthem protests, their popularity differed widely, based on recent performance, past and current teams, and public persona. Most play in high-profile positions. However, black players are steered toward defensive positions and less central offensive roles. Black players are especially unlikely to become quarterbacks, who are the league’s biggest stars. All of these factors tran