Annotated Bibliography Essay

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.

“Taking a knee during the National Anthem these days screams disrespect for our flag,our country and troops.” People are seeing the message that the players are trying to send as disrespectful for our country and troops.”My son and the entire armed forces deserve better than that.” In response,people who are against the kneeling for the National Anthem are going to try to protest in a peaceful manner by not watching the NFL games and not going to the games.The big issue is that the National Anthem has nothing to do with the inequality in our country nor is it raced based.The National Anthem stands for more than what some people are making it out to be. The players are unaware of the true meaning of the National Anthem.

The current debate over kneeling or sitting in protest during the national anthem to protest police brutality was ignited by Kaepernick in 2016, and later adopted by many other professional football players, high school athletes, and professional athletes in other sports, all who have refused to stand for the national anthem. These protests have created disagreement and sparked a public conversation race, police brutality, the flag and if the NFL is the best forum for to protest such issue. Colin Kaepernick has since said “he’s not protesting the flag but police brutality against African Americans. www.Procon.org

A big problem protesters like Colin Kaepernick and others are facing is that since they don’t participate in the National Anthem people think that they don’t like our country and are unpatriotic. For example Donald Trump and his aides took the situation into their own hands when calling out the protesters by saying, “protests are unpatriotic and disrespectful to the flag and those who have fought to protect the United States”(Tatum). After these comments players fire back by saying they’re exercising free speech by not participating in the National Anthem while standing with their hands over their hearts. Protesting is a

Many players and their coaches have been protesting police brutality by ‘taking-a-knee’ during the Pledge of Allegiance. The media has been sharing and it has now become a bigger deal since the president has addressed it by saying "Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, 'Get that son of a b---h off the field right now. Out. He's fired. He's fired!" This riled up many Trump supports, secially when later on he tweeted that it had nothing to do with race and that it was about respecting the country. This leads many people to believe that the NFL players are just disrespecting their country. The stereotype about African Americans, that they are often disrespectful, is also being used to ‘justify’ what a lot of the media has to say. But, the real reason many NFL players are protesting is because they think that they shouldn't have to stand if they don't have pride for their country, and they have the right to do so, according to their first amendment. They don't lose the right to protest when they go on the field like some of the media thinks so. Many people, often white believe they live in a just- world because they have never had to deal with the racism many African Americans are dealing with so they do not think it is a big deal and that they are protesting to be disrespectful. The illusory correlation can also

The massive protest throughout the NFL is against the violence and injustice toward African-Americans in the United States. As a team the Seattle Seahawks stated that they, “‘Will not stand for the injustice that has plagued people of color in this country’” (May 1). The Star Spangled Banner is an important song for Americans because it shows the unity within the country; in fact, it is supposed to bring all citizens together no matter their differences. Standing for the Anthem shows respect for all the men and women in our military who have fought for the freedom and rights of American citizens. Nick Stefanovic is a Marine Corps veteran, and was deployed to Afghanistan twice. He is one of the military personnel who think Americans should be standing for the

This protest started in August of 2016 by an NFL football player named Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid. They both played for the San Francisco 49ers and protested by kneeling during the National Anthem. Everyone present was confused and shocked at why he is doing it. No one ever expected someone out of the blue to begin kneeling during the few moments of unity and paying respects for others. Colin Kaepernick was soon interviewed after the

Taking a knee during the National Anthem began 13 months ago with Colin Kaepernick. He started to protest just by sitting on the bench, then when he was asked why he is doing this he responded saying that he is doing this to show more respect for the military veterans. However, a few months later when Kaepernick’s protest became more known to society he said “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag or country that oppresses black people, and to

“O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?” John Stafford Smith said in 1814. This has become America’s top way to show respect to the country. Can you imagine people being disrespectful during this important moment? Well, whether you believe it or not, the very act has been happening over and over on America’s top sporting fields. Players playing in the NFL have been kneeling during the national anthem, creating riots in the crowds. Many, many people died for America’s song, but yet people keep on kneeling no matter what people say, even the President! So, how bad is the kneeling issue? Well, we have to look at why they are doing this disrespectful act in front of thousands of people. And don’t worry, if you don’t have a side on this issue, this essay will help you make a decision. By listening to what fans, players, and NFL management are saying, we can finally take a side on this important issue.

Colin Kaepernick, a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, has created much controversy in the nation over his latest protest. During a preseason football game Kaepernick was photographed sitting during the national anthem (McKirdy). When asked about the action later, Kaepernick explained, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” (Wyche). The nation exploded. Many showed their support for the quarterback, expressing pride in him for “standing up” for the things he believes in. Others displayed their anger with him for disrespecting the flag and all the things the flag represents. After seeing what a backlash his action received, Kaepernick decided to kneel instead of sitting, claiming that his new way of protesting would show more respect for those in the line of duty (Anthem uproar). Although he has the right to protest, sitting during the national anthem is the wrong way to draw attention to a specific cause.

The ground is not constant in every part of the world. Grass, sand, dirt, rocks, and everything in between is always changing underneath our feet. The sky is always shifting when new shapes and colors pass above our heads as we carry out our lives. It is baffling to think that people surrounded in a world of change believe it is possible to stick to one way of living. The belief in following a tradition can come from multiple ideals. The United States has an abundance of these traditions, and sometimes it is hard to notice when you are within one. The Star Spangled Banner is a prime example of a long-standing tradition in the United States, where it is usually played before national sporting events. Americans believe that the national anthem represents the greatness of America, and some believe that it honors our fallen soldiers and military. It is traditional to stand with our hands on our hearts, facing the flag while the anthem plays. The recent phenomenon of NFL players kneeling at the national anthem is a call to attention for the victims affected by racial inequality and police brutality within our country. Interestingly, NFL players weren’t required to be on the field during the anthem until 2009. Regardless, this show of taking a knee seems to many as a menace to their tradition. Some people were thoroughly opposed to these protests, including our own country’s leader. The president of the United States calling these gestures a “total disrespect of our

Sports, particularly football, has became a political debate in September. The author of the article, CNN Sophie Tatum, called “Athletes, activists spar on kneeling National Anthem protests”. She explained that President Donald Trump began to criticize players on his twitter account who would kneel during the national anthem to protest against police brutality. Sophie Tatum writes that Trump and his aides are arguing that the protests are unpatriotic and disrespectful to the flag. Trump also adds that it is disrespectful to the people who fought to protect our country. Although players argue that they are just exercising free speech. In the beginning of the article Sophie Tatum adds an interview, Spike Lee, who is speaking out for the players who take a knee. He defends the players that they are simply protesting against law enforcement and want to be heard on the issues at hand. Reading the title of the article before I read the rest and

The National Anthem is our country’s theme song and it is very highly respected throughout our great country. The Anthem talks about freedom, liberty, and justice for all and about how there are great men and women who risk their lives every day so our country can be free. So, when the Anthem is played at professional football games everyone stands and holds their hand over their heart and respects our flag and our Anthem because that is the least we can do to help support and show our respects to our soldiers and our great country. As many people can see, a lot of things are changing, and these changes started when Colin Kaepernick (Former Quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, now a free agent) decided to take a knee instead of standing during the National Anthem in the 2016-17 season. Colin says he did this not to disrespect the soldiers and war veterans but, to bring awareness of the issues going on in our country. Colin said that he felt that our country is not free and justice is not done fairly. He believes there is too much Police brutality “there are people being murdered unjustly and not being held accountable”-Kaepernick. Also, he believes African Americans are treated and looked at differently and it has been that way in the past and it still hasn’t changed. Once Colin kneeled and said all the things he needed to get off his chest the world shook. African American people and professional athletes all over the world agreed with what he did. I’m not saying white people didn’t agree, but it was more African Americans that felt the same way Colin did and

In the article, “National Anthem Protests”, written by Steve Byas on The New American, on October 24, 2016, states that when the San Francisco 49ers backup quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, decided to kneel during the national anthem that his protest wasn’t about the police brutality on blacks but to disrespect this country. Texas senator, Ted Cruz, states in the article that “it’s very easy when you’re sitting there, rolling in millions of dollars to disrespect this country” (13 Byas). Kaepernick and many other NFL players have stated that they are not disrespecting our flag but kneeling in protest to the police brutality on black people across the country. Although the players have said this, people beg to differ.

Since the 1918 World Series the National Anthem has been played at sporting events. The anthem is a symbol for the soldiers who raised the flag after the horrors of cannon bombardment during the war of 1812. Some people seem to think that the anthem has no connection to a sporting event, others find the anthem to be discriminatory. During the anthem we’re asked to stand to remind ourselves of the sacrifice American’s have made for our freedoms. At a recent 49ers football game, Quarterback Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the National Anthem. While Tim Wendel (pro) and Merrill Matthews (con) decided to express their opinions in an article for the Tribune Company. Tim Wendel is for “Protests push all of us to face the dilemma of racial