As anthem protests continue to grow across the NFL, NBC has announced that it will televise the anthem for the 2017 NFL regular-season opener between the Patriots and Chiefs.
In the past, the network aired commercials during the time the anthem was being played in the stadium, SportingNews.com reported.
As players, activists, and fans wait to see who will or will not join the anthem protest, NBC has decided to give any potential protester a national platform by airing the segment.
NBC told Sporting News that it would not shy away from focusing on any player who enters into a protest during the anthem.
“As in the past, we will televise the national anthem for select games, including the NFL Kickoff game and the Super Bowl, and, like last year, will cover activity around the anthem as news merits,” NBC spokesman Dan Masonson told the website.
Several players have already protested the anthem during the preseason.
On Monday Night Football, for instance, nearly a dozen Cleveland Browns knelt as a group to protest the country. The players took their action despite that their coach, Hue Jackson, had spoken against such protests.
At least two other players, the Seattle Seahawks’ Michael Bennett and the Raider’s Marshawn Lynch, protested by staying seated during the national anthem.
ESPN told the Sporting News that they are still formulating their coverage plans, but added, “like we’ve done in the past, we will document and present anything noteworthy and relevant to our audience.”
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.