NFL and Unity

Why does the NFL have such a great problem with the National Anthem protests, while the NBA doesn't seem to mind? Pageantry plays part of the role. Football games are once a week, large school community events. The stadiums are huge. Even at the high school level, they attract a large portion of the student body. Cheerleaders cheer, the band plays and various other ceremonies are attached. The "homecoming" event is connected to the football game. Similar pageantry is attached to the college game. The NFL lacks some of these "ceremonies", yet still is a significant community event in a way that is not seen in other sports. The way the game is played also requires unity. The team lines up and executes a number of plays together. There are some chances for individual heroics, but these are usually enabled by many teammates working in precision. (I remember seeing a video of a great Marschawn Lynch run a few years ago. in the run, Ricardo Lockette sprinted out of nowhere to make a great block enabling him to continue scampering. Though Lynch would get the credit for the run, it would not have been possible without that springing and block.) People attend the games to experience unity and be at one with their community and team.
Protests over the national anthem distract from this unity. Instead of unity, we have different people showing their individuality. The Star Spangled Banner is seen as an important unifying event at the game. Most fans are standing during the anthem. Those fans down getting nachos tend to be out of sight. However, the players intentionally taken a knee are plainly visible and appear to break the unity. This lack of "unity" breaks with the ethos and the reason for fans to attend the game. The actual action does not matter so much as the lack of unity. Kneeling is, after all, a form of reverence. I doubt there would be much of an issue if everyone took a knee for the anthem. However, seeing a loner detracts from the experience.
Basketball, on the other hand, is much more of an individual experience. A single player is much more able to do great things on their own. People play regularly play basketball on their own in a way that resembles the pro game. (Pick-up football, on the other hand, is usually of the "touch" variety, and is almost a totally different game than the one watched as a spectator.) Basketball players are visible as individuals, wile football players shed their individuality in full body protective gear. Fans still support their team, but the pageantry is less critical to the experience. The basketball games also happen at much greater frequency. While football is a complex team activity with bursts of individual achievement, basketball is a showcase of individual talents that are enhanced by teamwork and planning. Thus individual protests hurt football, while not impacting basketball.