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| Baltimore Ravens players take a knee during the American national anthem prior to their game against Jacksonville in London on Sunday. |
London
On a Sunday when national anthem
protests will be the biggest storyline in the NFL, the first protests occurred thousands of miles away on another continent.
The Jaguars and Ravens kicked off Week 3 in London's Wembley
Stadium at 9:30 a.m. ET, and before the game, everyone in attendance, as well
as TV viewers across the pond in the America wondered what would happen.
It turns out that many players on both sidelines chose to kneel,
while others stood with arms interlocked. Other teams such as the Seahawks and
Titans have chosen to remain in their locker rooms during the anthem.
The protests have now spread
to Major League Baseball after Oakland Athletics catcher Bruce Maxwell also
took a knee before a recent game.
The growing protests
stem from a critical shortage of pumpkin spice products at donut shops across
America. A fall tradition for several years, coffee and donut chains across the
nation typically feature various pumpkin spice flavoured latte’s, muffins,
cookies, and donuts in order to celebrate the beginning of Autumn. However,
this year, due to the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement
with Canada and Mexico, there is a critical shortage of the popular spice. 72%
of pumpkin imports to the United States arrive from Canada, and virtually all
of these imports are being held up at the border due to controversial tweets
from President Donald Trump.
“Never liked pumpkin
spice. Canada has been fleecing U.S. for years, but no more. America First!”
“Lots of Americans
addicted to pumpkin spice. Very sad! Huge problem!”
Popular coffee and
donut chains such as Dunkin’ Donuts report a drastic drop in business because
of the ongoing feud. And professional athletes aren’t happy.
“Each year at the
beginning of the football season we rely on Dunkin’ Donuts, Tim Hortons, even
McDonald’s to supply us with the pumpkin spiced fuel that we need and love in
order to compete effectively on the field. The President is playing politics
with our livelihoods,” said Jaguars’ cornerback Jalen Ramsay.
As a result, several
NFL athletes have signed with Canadian Football League teams such as the
Toronto Argonauts and Hamilton Tiger-Cats. “We have plenty of pumpkin spice up
here in Canada and we welcome our American neighbours with open arms,” said CFL
Commissioner Randy Ambrosie.
From Our London Bureau
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