Taking a Knee: Estimating The Impacts of National Anthem Protests in the National Football League on Salary and Performance

Abstract

This paper examines the effects of protests during the U.S. national anthem on National Football League players’ salaries and performance. Using a difference-in-differences method with players who did not protest acting as the control group, I find no evidence that salary decreases for players who kneel. Similarly, there is no statistically significant effect on total yards per game, or combined tackles. This study has generalized applications for broader social movements which may have impacts on earnings or performance, due to negative connotations associated with social protests.