Column: Even with a Super Bowl, why must the NFL make it so hard to be Black and a fan?

SoFi Stadium, where the Rams will face the Cincinnati Bengals in the Super Bowl. It found that while more than half of American adults say they are fans, the people who say they are less of a fan now than they were five years ago are more than twice as likely to believe the NFL is doing “too much to show respect for its Black players.” These same folks are also less likely to approve of the so-called Rooney Rule, which mandates that NFL teams interview non-white men as candidates for head coaching jobs. A full 45% of them think the NFL does “too much” to respect Black players, compared with 22% of adults nationwide. “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field now!’ ” he said during a rally in Alabama. “My sincere hope is that by standing up against systemic racism in the NFL, others will join me to ensure that positive change is made for generations to come.” Goodell, speaking at his annual state-of-the-league news conference in L.A. on Wednesday, vowed the NFL would “look into that,” calling Flores’ allegations “disturbing.” “They are very serious matters to us on all levels,” he said, “and we need to make sure we get to the bottom of all of them.” He also vowed to find new ways to improve diversity.