LONDON — In the span of about 12 hours, President Donald Trump decided to call the mothers of NFL players who kneel during the pregame national anthem “bitches,” called for a boycott of the NFL because it doesn’t immediately fire said protesters, decried new safety rules that outlaw things such as helmet-to-helmet hits in the league (and presumably college, high school and Pop Warner, as well), and then disinvited the NBA champion Golden State Warriors from visiting the White House because star Stephen Curry said he, himself, is against the team going.

He was Donny from Queens dialing into WFAN. First time, long time.

Stick to … politics?

Whatever, sports is intertwined in American society, and Trump has found some low-hanging fruit here for his base to gulp down. And when it finds something it likes to chomp on, he’ll keep feeding it and feeding it.

Protesters. Supposedly ungrateful millionaires. Wimpy regulations. Nostalgia.

View photos President Donald Trump waves to the crowd after speaking at a rally in Alabama where he ripped the NFL. (REUTERS) More

This is Trump’s greatest-hits album. Who cares if it’s fact-based? Once it found applause at a rally Friday in Huntsville, Alabama, it likely put itself into heavy rotation.

“If you see [a player protest], even if it’s one player, leave the stadium,” Trump said. “I guarantee things will stop. Things will stop. Just pick up and leave. Pick up and leave.”

Things won’t stop. At least not in the short term. If anything, Trump will create more protests from players and galvanize support among their peers. Players “will never back down when it comes to protecting [their] constitutional rights … as well as their safety as men who compete in a game that exposes them to great risks,” DeMaurice Smith of the NFLPA said in response.

With TV contracts set, and sweetheart stadium deals in place, there isn’t much anyone can do to hurt the NFL’s bottom line enough for it to reverse course, violate its collective-bargaining agreement or get pushed around.

NFL owners are, for the most part, real billionaires who for decades rejected Trump’s bid to join them. The owners may have donated $7.25 million to his inauguration fund, but just as that won’t stop the president to call for a mass rejection of a major American business, it doesn’t mean they truly respect him.

“The NFL and our players are at our best when we help create a sense of unity in our country and our culture,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement Saturday morning. “There is no better example of that than the amazing response from our clubs and players to the terrible natural disasters we’ve experienced over the last month.

“Divisive comments like these demonstrate an unfortunate lack of respect for the NFL, our great game and all of our payers, and a failure to understand the overwhelming force for good our clubs and players represent in our communities.”

Fair points. That doesn’t mean Trump isn’t a concern for the league. He’s the voice of plenty of NFL fans. They can’t crush the NFL, but they can hurt it in some proportion.

Trump continued his anti-protest rhetoric on Twitter on Saturday morning, and even seemed to take offense with the NFL’s response.

If a player wants the privilege of making millions of dollars in the NFL,or other leagues, he or she should not be allowed to disrespect…. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 23, 2017





…our Great American Flag (or Country) and should stand for the National Anthem. If not, YOU'RE FIRED. Find something else to do! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 23, 2017





Roger Goodell of NFL just put out a statement trying to justify the total disrespect certain players show to our country.Tell them to stand! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 23, 2017





[Watch on Yahoo: Ravens vs. Jaguars live from London Sept. 24]

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