America's professional sports leagues vary in their guidelines for conduct and behavior during the playing of the national anthem. While the NFL has the most overt policy regarding anthem protocol, other leagues take a more passive approach.
Here's a breakdown:
National anthem policies by sport/league
NFL
The NFL annouced changes to its national anthem protocol during the 2018 offseason. The new rules state:
— All team and league personnel on the field shall stand and show respect for the flag and the anthem.
— Personnel who choose not to stand for the anthem may stay in the locker room or in a similar location off the field until after the anthem has been performed.
— A club will be fined by the league if its personnel are on the field and do not stand and show respect for the flag and the anthem.
— Each club may develop its own work rules, consistent with the above principles, regarding its personnel who do not stand and show respect for the flag and the anthem.
— The commissioner will impose appropriate discipline on league personnel who do not stand and show respect for the flag and the anthem.
MORE: Donald Trump praises new NFL anthem rules
MLB
Major League Baseball doesn't have an official policy that governs conduct during the national anthem, though MLB has said that the playing of the anthems before games in the United States and Canada is an important tradition that has great meaning for fans. But MLB has also said that it respects that players are individuals with different backgrounds, perspectives and opinions.
NBA/WNBA
According to the NBA's guidelines, "players, coaches and trainers are to stand and line up in a dignified posture along the sidelines or on the foul line" during the playing of the national anthem. NBA commissioner Adam Silver has said he expects NBA players to stand for the anthem, but has not said what would happen if any players refused to stand for the anthem. The WNBA has a similar policy, but has waived the policy in the past to allow for the kinds of protests that have become prominent in the NFL.
NHL
While NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has said it's the league's preference for players to remain "apolitical" at the rink, the rule book does not specifically mention player etiquette — standing or being present on the ice — during the performance of the U.S. or Canadian national anthem. If a player wishes to make a statement politically, they're encouraged to do so "before the game, after the game, on their off time," Bettman said in October 2017.
