Donald Trump isn’t exactly on a winning streak, but he is beating the NFL in a rout.

A day after fearless ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith pronounced Trump the victor in the national anthem controversy, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell confirmed the verdict with a memo sounding what is sure to be a messy, divisive retreat by the league.

“Like many of our fans,” Goodell wrote, “we believe that everyone should stand for the National Anthem.” Now he tells us.

The climbdown comes only weeks after a clueless bout of self-congratulation by the NFL and the media over widespread protests during the anthem. Wasn’t it marvelous that the owners and players were so united? Hadn’t Donald Trump badly overplayed his hand? Weren’t we possibly on the cusp of a glorious era of activism in sports?