U.S. President Donald Trump tried to make trouble for the National Football League (NFL) again as he threatened not to watch the new American football season if the league allows players to take a knee during the national anthem before the games.

Republican congressman Matt Gaetz on Thursday wrote on Twitter: "I'd rather the U.S. not have a soccer team than have a soccer team that won't stand for the National Anthem." Trump later retweeted Gaetz's post, commenting: "I won't be watching much anymore!"

He later added: "And it looks like the NFL is heading in that direction also, but not with me watching!"

NFL players kneeling down during the pre-game national anthem has been on Trump's nerves since Colin Kaepernick, the former quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers, first made the move in 2016. The U.S. president kept firing at Kaepernick and those who supported the QB while ignoring the fact that these players chose such a move because of pervasive racism and social injustice in the American society.

The death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25, led to angry protests against police violence and racism all over the U.S. Sports leagues around the world responded to the event and many teams and players expressed their support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

Even the NFL changed its attitude towards the behavior of taking a kneel as Commissioner Roger Goodell admitted: "We, the NFL, condemn racism and the systematic oppression of Black People. We, the NFL, admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest. We, the NFL, believe Black Lives Matter."

No matter how influential Trump considers himself on the sports world, several players did not seem to take his threat seriously.

Adrian Peterson, a veteran running back of the Washington Redskins wrote, "four years ago only Colin Kaepernick knelt during the national anthem, now all of the players are ready to do it when the season begins."

Pete Carroll, head coach of the Seattle Seahawks called it a mistake when he did not sign Kaepernick a few years ago but said he's convinced that another team will land him. He also pointed out that Trump will not like it.

Defensive end J. J. Watt of the Houston Texans attended Floyd's funeral last week and revealed that he is ready to kneel with his teammates during the national anthem.

The NFL has been one of the most popular sports leagues in the U.S. for decades. According to Statista, 16.67 million attended the games in 2019. Trump not showing up may not matter that much, or at all.