President Trump turned professional sports into a political battleground Friday night into Saturday, directing full-throated ire toward African American athletes who have spoken out against him and prompting a sharp rebuttal from the National Football League and several prominent sports figures.

In a span of roughly 12 hours, as the sports world would typically be gearing up for college football and baseball’s pennant races, Trump ensnared and agitated the most powerful sports league in North America and angered NBA superstars Stephen Curry and LeBron James. His comments set the stage for potential mass protest Sunday along NFL sidelines.

At a political rally Friday in Huntsville, Ala., Trump called on NFL owners to release players who demonstrated during the national anthem in the manner of former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who knelt last season to draw attention to police violence against African Americans. Saturday morning on Twitter, Trump rescinded a White House visit invitation to Stephen Curry of the NBA champion Golden State Warriors, although it is unclear whether the Warriors had been invited in the first place.

“Going to the White House is considered a great honor for a championship team. Stephen Curry is hesitating, therefore invitation is withdrawn!” Trump posted at 7:45 a.m. Saturday.

The tweet came on the heels of comments he made Friday night at a rally for Republican Sen. Luther Strange, who is running in a special GOP primary election to remain in the seat vacated by Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

“Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Out! He’s fired. He’s fired!’ ” Trump said. “You know, some owner is going to do that. He’s going to say, ‘That guy that disrespects our flag, he’s fired.’ And that owner, they don’t know it [but] they’ll be the most popular person in this country.”

Saturday afternoon, Trump doubled down on Twitter.

“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 our Great American Flag (or Country) and should stand for the National Anthem,” Trump wrote. “If not, YOU’RE FIRED. Find something else to do!”

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who has waffled in either supporting or decrying Kaepernick, responded to Trump in a statement released Saturday morning.

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

Saturday evening, Trump responded once again on Twitter.

“Roger Goodell of NFL just put out a statement trying to justify the total disrespect certain players show to our country,” Trump said. “Tell them to stand!”

As of late Saturday afternoon, NFL players were still deciding if and how they would respond Sunday. Many players felt it would be difficult to organize a leaguewide protest on short notice, especially because Trump’s volatility made the situation tenuous.

“Guys got hit in the face [Friday] night,” said one person familiar with the NFL Players Association’s thinking, who requested anonymity to discuss a sensitive issue.

Many players called the union to ask what kinds of protests are permissible under league rules, according to the person. Some, for example, wanted to know if they could wear a T-shirt over the shoulder pads during warm-ups, but that would be a violation of NFL equipment rules.

Some players also worried Trump had put them in a bad position: If they protested, Trump could reassert talking points to his base. If they observed the anthem, Trump could claim responsibility.

“Comments like we heard from the president are inappropriate, offensive and divisive,” two of the NFL’s most prominent owners, John Mara and Steve Tisch of the New York Giants, said in a statement. “We are proud of our players, the vast majority of whom use their NFL platform to make a positive difference in our society.”

San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York, the man who last employed Kaepernick, called Trump’s comments “callous and offensive” and “contradictory to what this country stands for.”

Various NFL owners collectively donated more than $7 million to Trump’s presidential campaign, and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft gave Trump a Super Bowl ring this summer. Saturday, a Patriots spokesman did not respond to a request for comment from Kraft.

Read the full story at The Washington Post.

The Thunderbirds performance team bursts from their formation during practice before the Pikes Peak Regional Airshow on Friday, Sept. 22, 2017. Below, children with special needs and their families watched the performance. (The Gazette, Nadav Soroker)

NADAV SOROKER, THE GAZETTE