With all the heated bickering about the NFL and our anthem – a claim politics has no place in sports and a counterclaim patriotism is also politics – ultimately the sports industry is in business to make money. The fans are the customers, and the American adage “the customer is always right” remains a firmly held belief by Americans, just one step down from our constitutional rights.

So, as this philosophical purity debate over how to treat the anthem at games festers on, the true determinant of “right” and “wrong” is in the hands of paying customers. The fans. And their willingness to spend money on a contrived opening game political protest. It’s the bottom line that decides.

And to further the already emaciating NFL bottom line is the entitled attitude of its athletes. The miscalculation pro athletes make is believing fans wearing a souvenir facsimile of their jersey is anything more than fandom. The jersey is for funsies. It’s not fanaticism. It’s not a symbol of devotion. The error pro athletes delude themselves into believing is we need them more than they need us.

By the by, where are the thousands of NFL fans demanding stadiums being opened for 100% capacity?

Specifically, the season ticket holders.