President Donald Trump didn’t hold back Monday morning, blasting the NFL’s controversial new kickoff rule as “sissy football” in a fiery post on Truth Social.
“The NFL has to get rid of that ridiculous looking new Kickoff Rule. How can they make such a big and sweeping change so easily and quickly,” Trump wrote. “It’s at least as dangerous as the ‘normal’ kickoff, and looks like hell. The ball is moving, and the players are not, the exact opposite of what football is all about. ‘Sissy’ football is bad for America, and bad for the NFL! Who comes up with these ridiculous ideas? It’s like wanting to ‘roll back’ the golf ball so it doesn’t go (nearly!) as far. Fortunately, college football will remain the same, hopefully forever!!”
Trump’s critique strikes a chord with fans frustrated over what many view as the NFL’s increasingly cautious approach to the sport. In recent years, the league has revamped the kickoff in the name of “player safety,” attempting to reduce brutal collisions and prevent career-ending injuries.
Under the new format, the kicker lines up at the 35-yard line while the rest of the coverage team waits at the opposing 40-yard line. Players cannot move until the ball lands in a designated “landing zone” from the 20-yard line to the end zone. The receiving team, meanwhile, positions nine players between the 30- and 35-yard line, with six at the 35, while two occupy the landing zone.
Though the NFL promised more excitement, the results have been underwhelming. Kick returns actually dropped, with only 32.8 percent of kicks returned last year, compared to a previous 21.8 percent record, according to NFL.com. Touchbacks increased to 64.3 percent, per ESPN, and while concussions fell by 43 percent—a safety win—many fans and observers argue the rule has stripped the game of its traditional intensity.
In an effort to entice more returns, the league moved the touchback starting position from the 30- to the 35-yard line. Yet even with this adjustment, teams returning kicks averaged only the 28.8-yard line, yielding barely an extra yard compared to the old system. Data shows the change would produce a marginal 6.2-yard difference at best.
Trump has been a vocal critic of the NFL’s kickoff overhaul for months. On Super Bowl Sunday this February, he slammed the league for a similarly stifling rule:
“The worst part of the Super Bowl, by far, was watching the Kickoff where, as the ball is sailing through the air, the entire field is frozen, stiff,” Trump wrote. “College Football does not do it, and won’t! Whose idea was it to ruin the Game?”
The president’s comments reflect a broader sentiment among conservative fans who see the NFL drifting away from the hard-hitting, traditional game they grew up with. Unlike the NFL, college football continues to feature live, fast-moving kickoffs that emphasize athleticism, risk-taking, and pure football skill—the elements Trump champions.
For Trump, the new NFL kickoff isn’t just a tweak in the rules; it symbolizes a larger trend of “sissifying” American culture, removing the grit, courage, and spectacle that made football the country’s most beloved sport. And while the NFL promises safer plays and fewer injuries, critics argue that fans are paying a steep price: the excitement, intensity, and edge-of-your-seat action that made the sport great.
As the NFL tinkers with rules in pursuit of safety and spectacle, Trump’s message is clear: real football—the kind that tests skill, bravery, and heart—still lives in college stadiums across America.
