I would like to begin by saying I do not follow football at all. It is incredibly rare for anything remotely sport related to ever make it into my realm of existence. However, this past Sunday was one of those rare times when something so important occurred in football, specifically the NFL, that it was impossible to not grab my full attention.
The act of kneeling during the National Anthem before a game began with Colin Kaepernick last year as a way to protest how America was treating people of color. While Kaepernick gained national attention for this, there were not many to follow him up on the act, until now.
At a rally last week in Alabama, President Trump embarked on one of his usual Trump like tangents; this time about the pride for our flag. Fueled by the response of the crowd, Trump continued by stating, “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.’”
NFL teams responded to this in one of the most beautiful displays of unity that I have seen since the Women’s March. Nearly all the players, coaches, and owners kneeled and locked arms during the national anthem before Sunday’s games. Many who were not previously affected by the President’s words were so insulted by his attack on their team members that they participated.
When we stand together, this is how true social change is made.
The league was so outraged by our President’s divisive statements and used this as an avenue to make a statement about unity. This simple act of kneeling is a direct response to the injustice President Trump is intending to ignite within our nation. He openly stated that people peacefully advocating for their rights are sons of b*tchs. I am whole-heartedly disgusted by this egregiously hateful statement; however, my heart has not been so full of national pride as it was last Sunday. We must resist our President’s blatant intentions to divide us. We must continue to come together in the name of social justice and change. The NFL league response reminds us that our everyday acts of resistance create space for change, no matter how small.