Amidst rising political tensions in America, the focus of this football season has had nothing to do with the game.
It all started in 2016 during the preseason games of the San Francisco 49ers. Their quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, remained seated during the National Anthem. His reasoning for this protest was due to the unjust treatment of African-Americans in the US. “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” he stated. Kaepernick eventually decided to kneel instead of sit to show his respect for the military, its current soldiers, and vets. By the end of the 2016 season, Kaepernick had decided to opt out of his contract with the 49ers and has not since been signed with another team. Some say that he hasn’t been able to be resigned because of his decline in performance, while others say that his political protesting has held him back.
Photo courtesy of CBS Boston
This form of protest has evoked emotion on both sides of the political spectrum. On the right, more conservative side of the spectrum, there has been more outrage over this protest. The right side believes that kneeling during the National Anthem is disrespectful towards our country and to the troop and vets that served this country. It doesn’t matter what the protest is about, it shouldn’t be aimed at the flag, as that serves as a symbol for America at large.
Someone you might know who expresses these values happens to be the president of the United States, Donald Trump. Trump has expressed his feeling on this topic through plenty of tweets and statements. He has urged that NFL owners fire any players that kneel during the national anthem in a statement he made during a speech in Alabama: “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a b*tch off the field right now. Out! He’s fired. He’s fired!’”
Photos Courtesy of Twitter
The liberal argument on this issue is generally that peaceful protesting is a right protected by the First Amendment, and Kaepernick shouldn’t be punished for making use of that right. Social media has also been very active about this situation the left side; Recently, there was a viral tweet showing a World War II vet kneeling and expressing his unity with the protester.
As the new season of football comes around, more players are starting to kneel in solidarity with Kaepernick. Many teams such as the Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars have taken a knee during their preseason games. This movement has also moved off of the football field and has taken a place in the MLB, NBA, WNBA and some high school teams.
Photo courtesy of ABC News
Amongst all of the disagreement, one thing that everyone can agree on is that everyone has the right to express these differing opinions as citizens of the United States. And that’s what really matters.
Written by Sofia Jordan
Sources:
NFL teams respond to Trump with nonparticipation, kneeling in protest
Colin Kaepernick Doesn’t Get Why His National Anthem Protests Would Hurt NFL Ratings
Cover Photo Courtesy of Daily Mail