*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).
The component derived from cannabis plants offers an effective alternative for pain relief without causing a "high," said former New York Jets player Marvin Washington, who urges the NFL to change its policy on the substance. "If we don't get our hands around this opioid addiction, we are going to lose a generation."
For the first time since 1980, Iranian women this week were allowed to watch their national team take on Spain at the World Cup. For Iran, soccer is "the one secular institution that really unites the country," says Jeffrey Marcus, publisher of World Cup newsletter "The Banter."
The 28-year-old pitcher for the LA Dodgers pitches something else in the off-season: stocks. As a licensed stockbroker, Stripling invests in FANG shares and dabbles in some commodities, he tells Cheddar.
Paul Boyer, a.k.a. sOAZ, the former starting top laner for Team FNATIC, was sidelined with a hand injury during the Spring Split season of the esport League of Legends. But now he's back in action and ready for the Summer Split.
IBM and Fox Sports have teamed up to bring fans an easy way to create their own highlight reels, drawing footage from archives and current matches. "It is a huge opportunity to tap into that fan passion," says Robert Schwartz, Global Leader of Strategy and Design at IBM iX, the company's digital ad agency.
The athletic brand has signed deals with projected number one overall pick in the NBA, Deandre Ayton, and has integrated music and fashion into its marketing. Former ESPN host Bram Weinstein says that could give Puma an edge over competitors.
Video games and esports, which are front and center at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity this week, have caught the attention of the entrepreneur and CEO of VaynerMedia. "I have been lurking in the grass, as they say," he told Cheddar's Jon Steinberg.
Canada was one of the only developed countries in the world that did not have a premier league for soccer. Until now. The Canada Premier League will kick off its inaugural season next year in the hopes of creating a soccer revolution ahead of the 2026 World Cup, co-hosted in the country, says CPL commissioner David Clanachan.
Any professional athlete faces pressure to win, but the stakes are higher at the World Cup, where soccer players carry the added burden of an entire nation's expectations. To rise to the occasion, athletes "have to have a shared vision and a greater purpose," says Jon Gordon, the author of 'The Power of Positive and Leadership.'
Most World Cup fans may have their money on the usual contenders: Brazil, France, and Germany. But there are a few teams and players that have the potential to upend the game and surpass expectations, says Jeffrey Marcus, publisher of The Banter.
