For years, television networks didn’t usually show much of the national anthem before games---until recently. This week, the NFL showed the anthem for just about every game.
But one staffer with a network, who remained anonymous, told Sporting News that TV crews were told to avoid crowd shots during the anthem because some fans might protest or boo the players down on the field. “In case they showed fans counterprotesting the protests,” the person said, identified by Sporting News as a “behind-the-scenes” staffer.
