Monday 25 September 2017

Fox Sports Canceling All NFL Broadcasts ‘Until Players Respect the Flag’ Is Fake News

Wikimedia Commons


Reports that Fox Sports is canceling all NFL broadcasts “until players respect the flag” are false. Rumors that Fox Sports would boycott the NFL by no longer airing games until the players who protested were punished stemmed from a self-described “satire” website.


According to PolitiFact, the fake claim originated on The Last Line of Defense, a website known for publishing fake news and political satire. The article claimed that Fox Sports refused to broadcast any NFL games until the teams that protested apologized to President Donald Trump, who ignited a Twitter firestorm on the NFL this weekend. It purported:


The NFL may refuse to listen when Donald Trump says that until players stop disrespecting our national anthem, our veterans, and our flag, team owners should fire people, but Fox Sports is helping him send the message.


Pointing out that “NFL attendance and ratings are WAY DOWN” because Americans “love our country” and have been avoiding them ever since Colin Kaepernick and his friends have been kneeling during the National Anthem, Trump suggested Americans as a whole boycott games.


Fox Sports took things a step farther Sunday morning with a bombshell announcement that until players either stop disrespecting our country or are fired to do so, they will not be airing any games.


The report, however, is entirely fabricated. Besides the fact that broadcast networks pay more than $3 billion in rights fees every season, according to Fox Business, the Last Line of Defense also clearly states in their disclaimer that articles published to their website should be considered completely fictitious:


America’s Last Line of Defense is a satirical publication that may sometimes appear to be telling the truth. We assure you that’s not the case. We present fiction as fact and our sources don’t actually exist. Names that represent actual people and places are purely coincidental and all images should be considered altered and do not in any way depict reality.


While certain details in the story are real, Fox Sports is not canceling NFL broadcasts. A “Fox & Friends Weekend” quote (“I have to ask, what are we kneeling for at this point?”) featured in the article is genuine, but was stated by host Pete Hegseth. Brian Kilmeade, a Fox News personality, remarked that he actually believed Trump’s tweets “made everything worse.” Additionally, the tweet included in the fake report was sent by Trump on Sunday morning. He also called on the NFL, which said that players who protested would not be disciplined, to change their policy in regards to standing for the anthem.




More than 200 NFL players choose to kneel or sit during the national anthem in response to comments Trump made over Twitter and at a campaign rally about the NFL’s protests against police brutality and inequality. Team members took a knee or locked arms in solidarity. Several teams stayed in the locker room until the anthem was finished. Many players shared messages of unity and explained why they took action in the wake of Trump’s controversial remarks.


Here are some examples of people sharing the fake story on social media:


Social Media Shares Fake Story about Fox Sports Canceling NFL Broadcasts












Have you seen the fake story about Fox Sports canceling all NFL broadcasts “until players respect the flag” circulating social media? What are your thoughts on the NFL’s protests? Sound off in the comments section below!


Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons



Source: B2C
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