Description
Book SynopsisPro Football and the Proliferation of Protest: Anthem Kneeling and Standing in a Divided America examines the take-a-knee NFL protests, a trend that has led to deep political divisiveness in America. The author explores this phenomenon by incorporating analysis of media coverage, impact on attitudes and behaviors, and racial, religious, gendered, and political perspectives. The analysis allows readers to recognize both positive and negative prejudice and to proscribe possible solutions for political divisiveness.
Protesting, anthems, ceremonies, and media coverage all demonstrate that this issue is a communication issue. This book examines the voices on both sides of the kneeling controversy in order to uncover the points at which one side is communicating and the other side refuses to listen.
The studies in this volume look at the protest through four lenses: historically, through media coverage , through impact on public behaviors and attitudes, and from racial
Trade ReviewThis book provides detailed, multidimensional analysis of the anthem protests and their implications, providing theoretical and historical context that helps relate the anthem protests to larger issues confronting public discourse. But the most important contribution of the book is how it serves as an example of the utility of a multimethod approach, applying more than a dozen methodologies to a single phenomenon and creating a level of understanding that goes far beyond simpler approaches. -- August Grant, University of South Carolina
Pro Football and the Proliferation of Protest: Anthem Posture in a Divided America is a very important publication for our times. This book reveals that anthem protesting is a multi-dimensional movement with a historic dimension, not just a monolithic idea attached to a “hashtag.” It is enlightening, thought-provoking and a very good read. I highly recommend it as both a recreational reading choice as well as a very useful textbook for social media, interpersonal communication and journalism courses. -- Arthur L. Terry, Bethel University
Table of ContentsChapter 1 – Division and Hermeneutical Ignorance in America: Reasons to Examine the Anthem Kneeling Controversy
Stephen Perry
Chapter 2 – The More Things Change . . . A History of National Anthem Protests
Varaidzo Nyamandi & Andrew Bolin
Chapter 3 – Government v. Protesters: An Historical Look at How the Media Chooses a Winner
Haley Higgs and Dara Phillips
Chapter 4 – America’s Greatness Compromised: The “Star-Spangled Banner” as a Symbol of Nationalism, Identity, and Division
Pauline A. Andrea and Elizabeth Sheffield Hayes
Chapter 5 – Influencing America: Sports and Conservative Radio
Kelvin King & Eric Frederick
Chapter 6 – Kaepernick Portrayals: A Content Analysis of Six Media Outlets
Kimberly Feld, Debra Sacra, and Steve A. Butler
Chapter 7 – How Social Media Activists and Their Hashtags Have Encouraged and Informed Their Followers on the Take-a-Knee Movement
Nadine Barnett Cosby
Chapter 8 – The Memes of Take-a-Knee: A Case Study of Power Structures in Social Media Use
Brooke S. Dunbar
Chapter 9 – NFL National Anthem Protests: A Cluster Analysis of President Trump’s Tweets
Kalah Kemp
Chapter 10 – Celebrity Response to Take-a-Knee, Kaepernick and NFL Protests
Candace Moore
Chapter 11 – The Role of Race in Perceptions of and Response to the Protests
Nadine Barnett Cosby
Chapter 12 – Rights and Respect: How Politicians and Their Followers View Anthem Protests
Michael Rhett & Joshua Weiss
Chapter 13 – Together We Tweet: A Cloud Protest Exploratory Study Examining the Evolution of #TakeAKnee
Jana Duckett and Deborah Sacra
Chapter 14 – A Great American Race: Visual Rhetoric in NASCAR’s National Anthem Ceremonies
Christina L. Bullock
Chapter 15: Articulating Christianity and Patriotism: Identifying a Hermeneutical Impasse through Emerging Meanings
Brian Mattson & Andrew Phillips
Chapter 16 – Pigskins and Protests: An Examination of the NFL Boycotts in Response to the Take-a-Knee Movement
Megan Westhoff and Jennifer Saint Louis
Chapter 17 – Female Athletes in Media: Participating in the Take-a-Knee Movement—Women Athletes in Sports Coverage
Colleen Kappeler and Nancy Flory
Chapter 18 – Sitting to Take a Stand: Take-a-Knee and Student Protesting
Michelle Tabbanor
Chapter 19 – Solutions to the Fallout: Invitational Rhetoric and Differing Viewpoint Political Conversations
Katie Clarke and Chris Connelly
Chapter 20 – Reflections in Overtime
Stephen D. Perry & Shreya Shukla
