*By Britt Terrell*
The NFL's decision to require players to stand when they are on the field during the national anthem was in part influenced by President Trump's comments that football players kneeling to protest police brutality should be fired.
"He really stirred the pot and created a real mess and almost, really, threw dirt in the faces of the NFL players," said Frank Zaccanelli, CEO of Fiamma Partners and former president of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks.
In an interview Thursday with Cheddar, Zaccanelli cited Trump's comments at a political rally last year in Huntsville, Ala., when the president said players were "ruining the game."
Trump piled on the day after the NFL announced its new policy, saying in an interview on "Fox and Friends" on Thursday that anyone who does not stand during the anthem, "[maybe they shouldn't be in the country](https://twitter.com/foxandfriends/status/999599639996313600)."
The NFL Players Association [criticized](http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/389018-nfl-players-association-criticizes-new-league-policy-on-kneeling) the league and the teams' owners for not consulting with the union before deciding on the new policy, which calls for teams to be fined if players kneel, but allows them to stay in the locker room during the anthem.
“NFL players have shown their patriotism through their social activism, their community service, in support of our military and law enforcement and yes, through their protests to raise awareness about the issues they care about,” the NFLPA said in a [statement](https://twitter.com/NFLPA/status/999325257403002881/photo/1).
"That is the canyon-wide split that's going on inside the NFL and it's not good for the game, it's not good for the fans," said Zaccanelli. "How could you possibly have done this without talking to the players' association? I think that's a big mistake by the owners."
For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/nfls-new-anthem-policy).
While the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams face off for the Super Bowl title, advertisers will be waging their own battles during Twitter's Brand Bowl 53. Ryan Oliver, senior director of brand strategy for the U.S. and Canada at Twitter ($TWTR), said the Brand Bowl is a celebration of the advertisers that are being talked about on Twitter.
Wine manufacturer Yellow Tail can’t buy a national ad during the Super Bowl ー but that won't stop the company from getting its “Tastes like Happy” campaign out to the public in spectacular fashion. To skirt the category exclusivity hold that Anheuser-Busch InBev ($BUD) has on the Big Game, Yellow Tail bought 81 local ads ー which cover about 90 percent of the nation.
Millions of people around the world are getting ready for the Super Bowl on Sunday. And while the day is all fun and games, there's still a serious discussion happening about player safety. Now, two leading sports brands have teamed up to design new, state-of-the-art equipment using 3D printing. Joe DeSimone, co-founder and CEO of Carbon, stopped by Cheddar with more on how technology is making football more safe, head to toe.
Luke Wilson is taking a short break from Hollywood. A commercial break. The "Rushmore" and "Old School" actor is starring in his first Super Bowl commercial, and he says the 30-second Colgate spot will probably get more views than any of his movies. "I think more people will see this than any movie I've ever been in for sure," Wilson told Cheddar on Friday.
Draftkings CEO Jason Robins told Cheddar that New Jersey residents alone could wager as much as $100 million on the Super Bowl, the first time sports betting will be legal there for the big game.
Although it has 3 million customers, home security company SimpliSafe isn’t a household name yet. It’s hoping that will change on Sunday after its first Super Bowl ad airs.“In a market where people are trying to lock you in a contract or harvest your data, we’re trying to keep you safe,” brand creative director Wade Devers told Cheddar. “There aren’t really a lot of places you can reach the number of people you can reach like the Super Bowl.”
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Friday, Feb. 1, 2019.
On Super Bowl Sunday, the Hallmark Channel will be home to the sixth annual Kitten Bowl, the annual matchup of cat-letes held to benefit the North Shore Animal League. Beth Stern, host of the Kitten Bowl and spokesperson for North Shore (and wife to Howard), brought a pair of 12-week Siamese kittens to Cheddar Thursday to help promote a new event this year: the first-ever Cat Bowl.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019.
Super Bowl Sunday is the ー well ー Super Bowl of building brand awareness, particularly for food and beverage companies. This year, Pepsi and Frito-Lay, both units of PepsiCO ($PEP), are once again among the snack giants planning to use the 100 million-plus members of the expected television audience to launch new products and elevate brands in their respective portfolios. Frito-Lay CMO Jen Saenz spoke to Cheddar Tuesday alongside Greg Lyons, the CMO for Pepsi, which is known for its Super Bowl ads and social media engagement tied to the Big Game.
