The most popular sports in the United States, American football, seems to have completed its transition from resistance to submission to Donald Trump. The president’s assistance to Super Bowl In New Orleans it marked a political turn that reflects how sports leagues, such as many corporations, have chosen to accommodate themselves, as it had happened in their first presidency.
And this transformation is not just a sports phenomenon: it is part of a broader change in American society, the great Cultural battlewhere Trump has managed to recover land even among voters who previously rejected him, including sectors of the black community disenchanted with the Democrats.
In his first presidency, Trump was a fierce critic of The players who knelt during the national anthem in protest against racial injusticedemanding that they were fired: it was the outbreak of the #blacklivesmatter, first spark of the Wake Movement.
In 2017, the NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell rejected his speech, accusing him of making “divisive” comments. To feed the crack that divided the United States. However, eight years later, the situation is diametrically opposite. The League no longer promotes THE “END RACISM” motto In the annotation areas, the message he had adopted after the murder of George Floyd in 2020. On the contrary, Trump is the one who has the central stage in the largest sporting event in the country.
The president attended the party as Gayle Benson guest, the owner of the New Orleans Saints, and had an outstanding space in the television broadcast, with a pre -recorded interview in Fox News. This support from the NFL arrives while Trump intensifies its crusade against the initiatives of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), with Executive orders to eradicate the Government to trans minoritiesalong with private entities to do the same.
And the League, instead of resisting, seems to have aligned with the strategy of “War against the woke ” promoted by the president. This alignment also coincides with a transformation in Trump’s electoral base. His rhetoric and policies have resonated in sectors of black voters who have seen in him a more effective leadership than that of the Democrats, especially after The disappointments with the Biden-Harris administration.
The increase in unemployment, inflation and the feeling of abandonment in communities that have historically supported the Democrats have allowed Trump to capture votes in places where he was previously unthinkable. This translates into a weakening of the power that the figures of the sport and the show had to challenge it.
The signs of this new reality extend beyond American football. In January, ESPN issued a Trump message during the final of the American football championshipwhere he took advantage of the transmission to criticize the Biden administration. In addition, it has used sport as a political battlefield with measures such as the prohibition last week of the participation of transgender athletes in women’s sports, a decision that was followed by the NCAA in a sample of alignment with the White House.
The attitude of the players has also changed. Instead of challenging Trump, the stars of the Super Bowl, Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, have been excited about their presence in the event. Kelce, Taylor Swift’s partnerone of the most critical celebrities of the Republican, declared that it was an “honor” to play in front of the president.
This position contrasts with that of other athletes in the previous era, such as LeBron James, who in 2017 called Trump an “idiot” and actively supported his political opponents. But after the defeat of Kamala Harris and the collapse of the Democrats, even the great figures of entertainment and sport They seem to have understood that challenging Trump, no longer has the same popular or political support.
The NFL turn towards Trump is not just a matter of internal policy. The president’s strategy includes a strong presence in the sports world, with the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympic Games on the horizon. His relationship with the president of FIFA, Gianni Infantinoand their interest in mass sports suggest that it will continue to use these platforms to consolidate their influence.
This transformation raises a key question: is this the new normality for sport in the United States? The surrender of the NFL before Trump could be a reflection of a broader trend in which sports leagues, pressed by economic and political interests, have decided to prioritize neutrality or even collaboration with power: the turn has also been given in The world of technology, where references as Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezosformerly Democratic promoters, have turned to align with Elon Musk and the White House. If before sports, show and networks were an ideological battlefield, they now seem to have become a validation space for the White House tenant. And Trump is willing to capitalize it.
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