Professional sporting events are the most overt displays of patriotism in our country. The American flag is stretched out to fill the field, and the whole stadium stands in unison to sing the national anthem. This three-minute ritual sometimes ends with military aircrafts flying over the stadium, yet this whole show is still barely noticed. That is until last football season, when everything about it was changed, and these changes were consequently ridiculed.
Former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick sent shockwaves throughout the NFL and America a year ago when he kneeled during the national anthem in a preseason game. Occasionally joined by teammates, he continued this practice throughout the season. The quarterback said he protested the anthem to raise awareness for racial equality, stating that African-Americans are still frequently denied equal rights.
Kaepernick’s protest gained momentum throughout last season, but it actually peaked on Oct. 1 of this year, when teams around the NFL responded to harsh comments made by President Donald Trump. No matter how big or small, kneeling for the anthem has always caused different reactions in Americans. The question still remains: Should public figures kneel during the national anthem?
Pro
For better or for worse, NFL players and professional athletes as a whole have a powerful influence over Americans. Because of social media and TV, the athletes have a worldwide platform. Although some may not always use their large platform effectively, their protest of the national anthem is being executed to perfection.
The right to peacefully protest is one of the principal foundations of America itself. The key word here is peacefully. While many people may not agree with what the NFL players are doing, there is nothing legitimately wrong with their actions. These players chose just the right moment to be seen by the greatest audience and increase the influence of their protest. Many athletes have previously voiced their opinions on civil rights issues, but none have done so in such a public or effective way.
When Colin Kaepernick first kneeled, he cited violence towards African-Americans and police brutality as his reasons for kneeling. It was a peaceful protest in the purest sense. There were no deadly riots, there were no shootings; no harm was actually done. The only harm(more of a consequence) was public uproar: exactly what Kaepernick wanted.
Many people view this protest as disrespectful to the military, saying our troops fight and die for our right to stand. However, they actually fight for our right to stand or kneel. They fight for our freedom of speech and our right to peacefully protest. This original wave of protests originated from innocent intentions and was executed effectively, even if they were not as widespread.
The initial protest came before Donald Trump took office as president. After he was elected, there was an apparent increase in both hate crimes, according to the FBI study hate crimes have increased since Trump’s election, and NFL players kneeling. Many players feel that they should not be obliged to stand if they live under a president who does not respect their rights as Americans.
Right after Trump was elected, more players began to kneel during the anthem. However, it wasn’t until he tweeted out explicit criticisms of players who kneel, cursing them out and calling them derogatory names, that the protests reached their largest scale. The week after the tweets—week three of the NFL season—the majority of players, owners and coaches either kneeled during the anthem or showed some form of protest and unity.
While the first wave of protests was a direct response to growing police brutality and unequal treatment for blacks, this was a direct response to comments made by the president. When Trump tweeted that all players who kneel should be immediately fired, he infringed on a person’s right to protest and their freedom of speech.
Even though there is legally nothing wrong with the players taking action in this way, the owners reserve the right to fire players as they wish. However, this too would send a bad message to fans, showing that the owners don’t respect their players right to protest.
Whether the players feel like they are being attacked by their own president or that there is an increase in racism or police brutality, they should continue to exercise their right to kneel. They have the largest public platform of nearly any American citizen. Using their power and publicity, they are protesting peacefully for a cause that needs to be continually addressed.
Con
What has the media been focusing on lately in terms of sports protests? Have they focused on civil rights or the oppression of minorities? While these are important issues, the media is actually focusing on the means by which players are protesting, instead of discussing what they are actually protesting about. Instead of a discussion of important racial issues in America, the headlines and the media have focused on one thing—kneeling.
Choosing to sit/kneel for the anthem is a counterproductive move. Instead of focusing on racial change and police brutality (conversations that need to be had), all that is being discussed is the action of kneeling. Republicans are slamming players for disrespecting the flag, while Democrats praise them for standing up to President Trump. Among this political rhetoric between the parties, the protester’s key motives are being forgotten, ultimately making this protest ineffective and a waste of time.
Donald Trump has stated his opposition to players kneeling, saying in a series of tweets that players should be fired if they don’t stand for the anthem. While his tweets seem particularly vulgar for a president, these tweets were actually a savvy political move. Essentially, Trump picked the pro-flag side, which in turn baited liberals to act in the opposite, as they have continually done with Trump. By picking the winning side, Trump forced Democrats and players to take the losing side, the side against the flag and for kneeling.
The majority of Americans are against kneeling, as evidenced by a September 25 poll by the Huffington Post/Yougov. The poll states that about 50 percent of adults disagree with kneeling, while only 36 percent thought it was appropriate. What is important is that the players are actually helping Trump. Political expert and Harvard Law graduate Ben Shapiro tweeted “If you kneel because you’re ‘showing Trump,’ you’re helping him: the flag isn’t Trump, and he wants to identify with that symbol.” While pushing for social justice, kneeling is actually helping Trump. To conservatives, every knee touching the ground on Sundays is another dollar going to the President’s reelection fund.
The culture war is crucial here. On policy, the President has been at best a moderate Democrat; however, cultural battles like this are keeping Trump popular among conservatives. Players kneeling is driving those who side with the flag into Trumps arms, a dangerous unintended consequence of kneeling.
The flag, the anthem and frankly football are some of the few common symbols that we as Americans hold together, and as these symbols disappear and become politicized, our country becomes almost irreconcilable. In a time where seemingly everything divides us, we need these symbols to bring the nation together.
Many on the pro kneeling side argue about the importance of peaceful protests. Yes, peaceful protests are a hallmark of our society; however, this specific protest, kneeling, is senseless and asinine.
Many on the other side use the first amendment as justification. Yes, the first amendment covers freedom of speech and freedom of protest; however, as a private company and employer, the NFL has the right to (and frankly should) ban kneeling and other disrespectful activities during the anthem.
Simply, players shouldn’t kneel and are wrong to do so. The protest is inherently disrespectful, and is removing symbols of unity, creating a political swirl and hurting players in the long haul. Players have failed to make a positive effect on society, as there have been minimal meaningful discussions about brutality and race. Players are alienating audiences ,significantly reducing TV ratings/favorability ratings, according to the Winston Group and are essentially hurting their bottom line while creating little social change.
