Analysis Of The NFL Kneeling And Crazy Media Hype

In 2017 controversy struck when the NFL tried “taking a stance” and protesting the National Anthem. In this protest, many NFL players one by one knelt down while the National Anthem played at their sporting event. The National Anthem is a song for our country and symbol to represent all of the men and women who have fought in our military. This song is not played just for our entertainment, it is to honor the flag and what it stands for. The protesting was started by Colin Kaepernick, last season, when he was the quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers. He was the first player to take a knee during the playing of the National Anthem, now many other NFL players this season are following in his path and doing the same thing. Many players and viewers claim it is for police brutality and the injustice that is being served, while other viewers see it as entitled millionaires disrespecting the flag and the military. Everyone has different opinions on the issue, but no matter what the country needs to respect one another as humans and be united; the American Flag is a symbol of our freedom and the NFL needs to recognize the National Anthem rather than kneeling and disrespecting what it stands for.

Protesting in the National Football League has been going on, as some of the country’s most beloved and highly recognized athletes are seen disrespecting the United States of America on national TV every weekend. The players’ reason for the protesting is police brutality, you can see them kneeling, raising their fist in the air, or even sit in the locker room while the national anthem is being played. Although I do understand what they are trying to do, I believe that there definitely better ways to go about their protest. The protests started in 2016 when Colin Kaepernick, quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers, took a knee during the national anthem. When question about his actions he responded by saying, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of colour”(Lake). While some people sided with Kaepernick most people took offense to his decision to kneel. In him doing this it has caused a league wide outbreak in protest; as players and sometimes even whole teams take a knee or show some type of protest during our country's anthem.

In August of 2016, Kaepernick began his protest during a NFL preseason game where he initially sat during the singing of the national anthem. At the time, his rebellious efforts became unnoticed, but he soon enough made headlines when someone took a photo of him sitting during the anthem. Thus a social issue was born from the public’s reaction from the photo.The negativity of the public’s reaction stemmed from the norm that it is customary that people raise their right hand over their heart while facing the flag when the Star-Spangled-Banner is playing, so if one does not follow this norm it is identified showing disrespect. Inevitably, the prediction of the people’s reaction were to be expected as they were outraged when Kaepernick broke the norm. Although, it is legal for individuals not to follow these sacrosanct protocols, citizens of the United States find this norm obligatory.Would you stand by and constantly watch the same social issues to keep reoccurring in your neighborhood? Not only that but it keeps happening to different people by the same organization? When numerous acts of police brutality occurred, Colin Kaepernick decided to protest. He could no longer stand by and do nothing; he decided to take a knee. For professional National Football League (NFL) player, Colin Kaepernick, his response was “no”. One of the last waves that came toward the end of the summer is the kneeling while the national anthem played during sporting events. When Kaepernick decided to

Ever since September of last year, the NFL National Anthem Protest has been one of the most controversial topics across social-media, alongside with other protests against police brutality. Many have criticized for such an action for being disrespectful to the National Anthem and Flag. Those, who have supported it, claim to protest against the nationwide police brutalities against the Black people. Looking back to the history of the United States, such sports protests are not a unique incident. During 1968 Olympic game, which are hold in Mexico City, African American Athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their black-gloved fists to speak for black civil rights. Yet, back then both the U.S. government and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) did not show support for such an action, though today the IOC claimed that the black American athletes has made names for themselves for doing such protests.

The "inspiration" for my topic came from our first assignment, the MTU Constitutional Essay Contest, and the NFL kneeling/National Anthem controversy. The extent of the public outcry and the divisiveness it has caused baffles. Kneeling during the playing of The National Anthem at widely viewed sporting events seems like a perfect and peaceful way to bring attention to a societal problem. It is freedom of symbolic speech at its finest. And it is nothing new. Americans have been engaging in symbolic political speech since before we even had a Constitution to protect it. Colonists threw tea in the Boston

Countless people worldwide have different opinions on the National Anthem protest in the NFL. Some people think it’s a good idea of protest and agree with what those players are protesting for, some people are just hard headed and don’t want to look at the bigger picture and just call it outright disrespectful to the flag and the military. A large number of people find it appropriate and support what those players are fighting for because they are exercising their first amendment right, and that shows how educated someone is. People also support this protest because it is very peaceful and is not resulting in a harmful way that endangers people. The National Anthem protest is an extremely appropriate form of protest, because it gives athletes the chance to perform an act that can have them killed or punished extremely in other countries.

The American flag represents this so-called notion of equality and patriotism, even though it was used alongside with the pledge of allegiance to capitalize on the people’s love of the country. The current controversy is that protest at NFL games is not only disrespectful to the country, but is also a disrespect to our armed forces who fought for our constitutional rights, this paper is simply an observation piece that will discuss the various arguments surrounding the NFL protest and will explore people’s current feelings toward the silent protest.

Banning players from kneeling during the national anthem, and firing those who do, is wrong. The fact that players aren’t allowed to peacefully and silently protest, violates their rights as American citizens. For hundreds of years protests have been used by people from all races and background to bring awareness to issues, whether it’s in support of or against; social injustice, employment issues, environmental issues, you name it, there has been at least 1 protest about it.

On the political cartoon “ little perspective” by Michael Kemirez illustrates an American soldier’s coffin on the sideline of a football field next to an NFL athlete kneeling with a jersey labeled misguided.The commotion that the nfl has gotten in the past few weeks has negatively affected the company. Is it ok for an NFL athlete to protest during a game? No, because it's ineffective, causes diversity, and has brought sales for the NFL down.

The Anthem Protests, and Some Football Game We face a situation in the sports world, specifically the NFL, where the games themselves are no longer the most important events happening. No longer are the touchdowns the headline grabbers this season; the controversy surrounding the national anthem has swept the nation and left it divided. The problem has become so out of control that the President of the United States of America has even left his thoughts on the topic. The NFL must fix the problem on their hands. The league is headed towards a civil war as well as total division.

Recently, there has been much debate regarding the national anthem at professional football games. Players, most of them African-Americans, have been kneeling during the national anthem in protest of the police brutality and discrimination against people of color that has been rising in the United States. Some believe that this gesture is disrespectful to the United States entirely. Eugene Volokh, a law professor from UCLA School of Law, addresses this belief as well as the players’ argument. His audience for his article is white Americans with an income of about $50,000- $70,000. These people may also have been military personnel or have been in position that does a service for the country. The current service men and women are targeted as well. This audience may not fully understand the reasons behind the protest, since they are not the primary encounters of the issue. In this essay, I will be addressing this audience in order to explain that it not in the NFL players’ intentions to disrespect the service men and women.

Players in the NFL must hate America, or at least that’s what some would say when talking about the issue of what players do during the national anthem. Early last year in 2016 a NFL player for the San Francisco 49ers, Colin Kapernick, decided to take a stand by sitting on the bench during the national anthem. His reason was to bring awareness to police brutality, specifically with African Americans, in the United States. As you know, most people stand during the national anthem to show respect for the flag, our country, and the people who fight for it. In realization of what it meant to sit during the national anthem, Colin Kapernick decided to make a compromise by kneeling instead of sitting. His point on awareness to police brutality was clear by kneeling, but it also shows more respect to the women and men in the military, than sitting. Many players, not just African American players, have followed this movement. NFL players have the right to peacefully protest in this form and should not be penalized. This movement is a peaceful protest to bring awareness to police brutality, a practical way to grab the attention of people, and is a movement spreading further than the NFL.

If society was to take a look back time in the history of the United States, during World War II, it was stated, “The Supreme Court struck down such a demand for a flag salute during the Pledge of Allegiance” in which the supreme court reason was “the ruling gave strength to individual freedom of mind in preference to officially disciplined uniformity for which history indicates a disappointing and disastrous end” (Sachs and Zatz 1-2). By Supreme Court ruling this way, it gave the people the right to be individuals and be able to have the freedom of speech or to protest against the ways that society is doing wrong by its people. As stated in the First Amendment of the Constitution, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievance” (First 1). So, as citizens of the United States, the sports players have rights to protest and exercising their freedom of

Right now in the NFL the football teams are kneeling for the National Anthem. This all started with Colin Kaepernick protesting the police and the inequality that people of color in the United States in August of 2016. The players are protesting the injustices people of color still face in America today. The message that the players are trying to send has been misunderstood. Some have said that the players are attempting to disrespect the country, national anthem, flag, and military by taking a knee this is incorrect. Part of this confusion came from initial misunderstanding, then it grew even greater when Trump spoke at his rally in Alabama. The players are protesting systematic oppression against people of color, police brutality, and the

Athletes in the NFL have a right just as everyone else. Human rights say that we have the right to protest. This can’t simply be forgotten with an athlete. Athletes should have all the rights that we have when on the field. The right to protest is something that an American citizen has the permission to use freely, and this is something others must respect instead of looking down upon.