The opening game of the NFL season between Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans on Thursday night was overshadowed by booing from some of the public as the players made a statement against racism before the game.
The Chiefs’ players stood arm in arm before the game got underway, after which a booing was heard. Alex Okafor knelt during the national anthem, while Houston Texans players decided to stay in the locker room.
JJ Watt of the Texans was surprised by the action of some of the audience. “I don’t understand very much. It was just two teams doing nothing but coming together to radiate unity,” he said.
Quinton Lucas, the mayor of Kansas City, also made himself heard. He writes on Twitter that he has also heard the booing. “But there were still thousands of people who did respect the message of the players.”
Protests in the NFL are sensitive
In the United States, there have been protests for months over the death of George Floyd, a black American who was killed in police violence in May. In the international sports world, statements have also been made against racism for some time.
In the NFL, protests have been a lot more sensitive since Colin Kaepernick decided to kneel as quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers in 2016. Among others, US President Donald Trump always spoke out strongly against athletes who knelt during the national anthem and even argues why he does not watch the NFL.
Kansas City Chiefs, which won the Super Bowl in February 2020, is one of the teams allowed to allow spectators this season. In the game against Houston Texans, there were 17,000 people in Arrowhead Stadium, which has a seating capacity of 75,000. The Chiefs went on to win the opening game 34-20.
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