DirecTV is offering refunds for people who want to cancel their NFL Sunday Ticket package because of the recent protests during the national anthem, reports ESPN.
Usually, fans cannot cancel subscriptions once the season begins, but AT&T, who owns DirecTV, decided to change their policy in this specific case. The package allows fans to get out-of-market games and costs about $280, reports ESPN.
This was first reported by The Wall Street Journal, but an AT&T spokesperson decline to confirm this policy. They also said they would have no numbers to share, writes ESPN.
Week 3 was rocked by protests before or during the national anthem, with about 180 players choosing not to stand for the anthem, and some teams, including the Tennessee Titans, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Seattle Seahawks, deciding not to come to the field at all for the anthem. The Dallas Cowboys knelt in unison before the anthem began and stood with linked arms during it on Monday night.
This is all because President Donald Trump gave a speech Friday night in Alabama and encouraged NFL owners to “fire” players who didn’t stand for the national anthem. Trump doubled-down on this stance over the weekend, saying there need to be NFL rules about the national anthem. Instead, players and executives coordinated their actions, reports ESPN.
Not everyone agreed with the teams’ decisions, and some fans booed players who took a knee, while others took to social media to say their were canceling their Sunday Ticket subscriptions, ESPN writes.
However, an NFL spokesperson said ratings overall were up 3 percent for Week 3 compared to Week 3 of last year. This might be due to the competitive game on Monday Night Football involving the Dallas Cowboys, or it might have to do with the fact that last year’s game was competing with a presidential debate.
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