NHL, NBA Take Different Approaches To National Anthem

NHL players have decided to stand for the national anthem during the league’s return this week. The scene before hockey games has differed greatly from the one prior at NBA games, where nearly every player and coach has knelt in protest during basketball’s return in the Disney bubble.

Eric Trump expressed his support for the NHL, thanking the players for standing in a tweet that generated over 115,000 likes and 32,000 retweets. President Donald Trump has stated numerous times that he doesn’t approve of players kneeling for the anthem.

In response to the president’s son, some hockey fans have tweeted pictures of themselves kneeling. Many fans used the hashtag #Kneel4Hockey in support of the “Black Lives Matter” movement.

NHL players from opposing teams chose to show that they are against social injustice, racism and hate by standing side-by-side during the anthem. Members of the Dallas Stars and Nashville Predators locked arms before their game.

NBA players knelt in the league’s return from a 141-day hiatus because of the coronavirus pandemic. It was the first time that basketball players protested during the anthem since former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick started the movement in 2016.

Jonathan Isaac of the Orlando Magic was the only NBA player that stood during the anthem before his team’s first game back. He was also the only player that didn’t wear a “Black Lives Matter” shirt.

“I don't think that kneeling or putting on a T-shirt for me, personally, is the answer,” Isaac said after Orlando’s game Friday. “I feel like for me Black lives are supported through the Gospel. All lives are supported through the Gospel. That we all have things that we do wrong and sometimes it gets into a place of pointing fingers about which wrong is worse.”

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich and assistant coach Becky Hammon opted to stand during the anthem while wearing “Black Lives Matter” shirts.