President Donald Trump renewed his spat with the sports world on Sunday, again calling for National Football League (NFL) owners to fire players who protest during the US national anthem.
In an early morning tweet, Mr Trump suggested fans could boycott NFL games in order to pressure teams to discipline players who protest the anthem.
“If NFL fans refuse to go to games until players stop disrespecting our Flag & Country, you will see change take place fast,” he wrote on Sunday. “Fire or suspend!”
In a second tweet, Mr Trump said the “league should back” fans who are upset about the protests.
The NFL’s players and owners are frequently at odds over finances and rules of the game. However, after Mr Trump’s remarks the two sides in the nation’s most popular professional sports league united in a manner unseen in years, sounding a resolute chord in decrying Mr Trump’s remarks.
The National Basketball Association players also struck back against Mr Trump. Basketball star Stephen Curry said he would not attend a traditional White House reception honoring the winning basketball team.
Several hours later, Mr Trump tweeted he was withdrawing the invitation drawing a stinging response from across the NBA, with Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James among the first to weigh in. “U bum @StephenCurry30 already said he ain’t going. So therefore ain’t no invite. Going to White House was a great honor until you showed up,” he tweeted.
