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| Many NFL players protested during the national anthems of their Week 3 games // via Wikimedia Commons |
Hours after President Donald Trump called athletes who protest during the national anthem a "son of a b***h" and request that they be fired, many NFL players used their Week 3 anthem time to do exactly that: protest.
The Tennessee Titans, Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks all stayed in their respective locker rooms during the anthem. On the Green Bay Packers, Cincinnati Bengals, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Baltimore Ravens, New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles sidelines, players locked arms, with some electing to kneeling. Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy stretched at midfield while the anthem was being sung. While different teams and players may have demonstrated their opinions differently, they made it clear that they are not satisfied with current state of America.
The Seahawks made a statement in advance of Sunday's game, explaining why they would not come out for the anthem: "We will not stand for the injustice that has plagued people of color in this country. Out of love for our country and in honor of the sacrifices made on our behalf, we unite to oppose those that would deny our most basic freedoms. We remain committed in continuing to work towards equality and justice for all."
Other players felt it was important to use their platform to set an example for others. “Lots of people don’t have a voice and I wanted to tell those folks that they’re not alone," said Miami Dolphins tight end Julius Thomas, who kneeled during the anthem for the first time Sunday. "I used my position to try to empower everybody who seeks equality.”
At this time last year, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick began kneeling as a form of political demonstration, citing the oppression that African American people suffer from in the U.S. as his reason for protesting. A year later, Kaepernick still has not been signed by an NFL team, and many analysts have blamed his advocacy, per the Huffington Post.
I can say with the utmost confidence that the extent and magnitude of the anthem protests is great. As Barack Obama said in 2012, ""One of the big unifiers in this country is sports, and football in particular." With such a large following throughout not only the country, but the world, it is amazing to see these athletes, with the platform they have, come together to make such public statements about their political views. Peaceful protests like these are the best way to get one's views across — not through violent protests, like the one we witnessed in Charlottesville a few weeks back.
With the NFL season in action until February, it will certainly be interesting to see how these protests play out. This movement is bigger than football — it sends a message to the millions of viewers each week that peaceful activism is encouraged, especially during this controversial period in American politics and society.
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9 comments:
In this case, I support actions of the NFL players in this case as well as the manner in which they are protesting. They are doing this in order to stand against the racial injustice that exists in the country today, which is an issue that especially relates to many of the African American players in the league. They are conveying their message to the millions of fans throughout the country who watch the sport on Sundays in order to spread awareness on the issue. Not only that, but they are doing it in a peaceful, legal manner, and are uniting together to spread the message even more effectively. Now, it is up to policy-makers, as well as the whole of America, to figure out how to resolve this issue so that equality can be better achieved in the country.
I also support the NFL teams' and players' actions. Especially with Kaepernick, many people thought kneeling during the national anthem was outrageous and disrespectful. I don't disagree with that, but it's peaceful and players have the right to express discontent. As Zack and Justin said, this is especially powerful because of the large crowd football attracts. The NFL players are showing that they literally won't stand for the current racial injustices and spreading the message to a big part of America in a peaceful and safe way. I wouldn't be surprised to see more players start to kneel or protest in another way as the season goes on.
Agreeing completely with those above my comment, I feel as though this is a very large step in some sort of direction, one I feel is quite positive. Many view football as an incredibly "American" sport, tradition, or pass time, and people from all over the country, in all areas of the country view football. Those who voted in favor of our current president, may also be fans of these teams. By using their sport to influence the American population, these men are spreading a positive message. I, as Haley and Zack said, am interested to see where this will lead.
I too support the NFL players' actions and believe that they were justified in kneeling during or skipping the National Anthem. I feel like the choice to protest the inequalities African Americans face not only brings awareness to the millions of fans watching, like those before have said, but also to the other football players who have not experienced racial injustices before. Many of the white players may not have felt comfortable or justified kneeling during the anthem, but their choice to link arms with those who were kneeling shows a moment of understanding, something that I hope will continue to grow in the future. While I do understand why their actions could be considered disrespectful, I think that their choice to peacefully protest is really smart and thoughtful. Choosing to kneel or stay in the locker room for the National Anthem does not stop those who want to stand during the National Anthem from doing so, which I think is respectful in and of itself and a good way to spread their message.
I also agree with the previous 4 comments on this topic that it is good that the NFL players and coaches are using their rights of free speech and demonstration to do what they please during the national anthem. However I would also like to shed some light on the other side of this issue. The national anthem is an American tradition. We sing it before sporting events as an expression of gratitude that we live in such an amazing country and it is supposed to build national pride, not detract from it. America does have its flaws just like any country but America doesn't represent racial injustice like many people seem to believe. Just because Kaepernick labeled his protest of the national anthem as a protest against racial problems in America doesn't mean that that's what the American flag and its anthem stand for. By refusing to respect the national anthem, you would be disrespecting all of America just to protest one part of society. Additionally, if this trend continues, standing for the national anthem would mean that you don't care about racial injustice in our society or you are fine with it because everyone who isn't happy about it is kneeling. If one person kneels in defiance that's OK but if it becomes the norm than it is likely most people who are just trying to show respect for their country will either be labeled as racists or as not caring about the racism in America. Not only will this create divisions in NFL teams and in our country as it already is doing, but it would begin to feel uncomfortable to stand for the national anthem which in my opinion would be the ultimate blow to American pride. People should find other ways of protesting racial injustices that have less effects on the people around them and aren't as disrespectful towards our entire country.
I also agree with the NFL players’ actions in response to what is happening in our country today. I just today read about the first baseball player to take a knee during the anthem, hoping to make a statement and possibly causing others to follow, in response to Trump’s message singling out and attacking specific people. Not only was MLB player Maxwell speaking for racial injustice as Kaepernick was, but in a statement he released, informs that it was for inequality as a whole against people that were merely standing for their rights. Thus, as the actions of these athletes have no purpose of disrespecting the country as others believe, but instead are making a stand against the injustices present today, I believe they are completely justified and are effectively pushing for a positive change in society.
I think that the way that these NFL players are protesting is especially effective because of the attention that it draws towards the issue, and I agree with the way that they are doing it. I think that the fact that this issue is drawing controversy is important because ultimately, controversy results in more media coverage of the issue and therefore more awareness. I think it is a shame that not only do many people not agree with the "unpatriotism" that this issue results in, but that they also ignore the underlying issues that the protests represent, and dismissing something as unpatriotic is also dismissing the racial injustice present in our nation.
The NFL protests during the national anthem have done nothing but good. No one has been harmed and at the same time awareness has been raised. The fact that Trump fixates on this one issue is ridiculous. With the rising tensions in North Korea, hurricanes raging in the southeast, and healthcare still being a huge question mark, this issue does not need to be brought up like this by the President. The way that Trump called players, "son of a b***hes" and has requested that they be fired is unprofessional and unneeded. Not only is this issue not of great concern to the country but it's not even the NFL's biggest problem. The NFL is leaving players with traumatic brain injuries that ruin lives long after player's careers and the league has a huge domestic violence issue which has been dodged by the commissioner. Trump should be more concerned about those issues if he's concerned about the NFL at all. I just don't see how it's unpatriotic to exercise a right that this country was built on.
I don't think there is any disputing that NFL players have a right to protest peacefully during games. This is a matter of the players' First Amendment right to freedom of expression. I do not believe that the president has the right to attack these players for practicing their First Amendment rights. By attacking these players, the president is attacking the Constitution and the very foundation of democracy. This president does not respect our democracy or our freedom to express our discontent with the conditions we live in.
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