Are Professional Athletes Justified?

Athletes all over the U.S have made their decision and have taken a stance on what they believe is right. Colin Kaepernick, a football player who used to play for the San Francisco Forty-Niners back in 2016, has made headlines for kneeling during the national anthem. For him, kneeling during the anthem was a gesture of protesting police brutality and social injustice. Although many people claimed that Kaepernick was being anti-american, he was just practicing his first amendment rights. The New York Times has quoted Kaepernick during a post-game conference where he said,- “Once again, I’m not

Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers quarterback, started much controversy against America when he remained seated for the national anthem during a preseason game against the San Diego Chargers. Kaepernick seems to had developed an enmity against America. He feels that he and fellow African American athletes should not show patriotism to their country because of the unfair treatment their ancestors went through throughout history. Although Kaepernick does have a point about the racial discrimination colored people went through throughout American history, he still has no right to disrespect his country. Kaepernick himself is not black, he is white, but he is just drawing attention to himself.

African American athletes have long been conflicted as to whether or not they should feel patriotic to a country that has oppressed their people. Kaepernick has chosen the best time to shine the spotlight on him with the non-patriotic act since his country is divided between Black Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter. There have been many people siding with, like the thousands of men and women who have tweeted the hashtag #VeteransForKaepernick, and people opposing, like Donald Trump

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.

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a prime example of a Discourse community. They have set goals and are not going to let anything get in the way of those goals. As every NFL team has the goal of winning a Championship only 1 team achieves that goal each year. Some

In the sports article, “49ers fans burn jerseys over player’s refusal to stand during anthem”, Washington Post states that a gesture from the 49ers quarterback prompted protests by San Francisco 49ers fans. Colin Kaepernick does not want to stand up for the flag ever again because of a country that subdues black people and people of color. People are supporting the refusal to stand during the anthem and others are disowning this cause. Secondly, the sports article states that his protests with America is making people think twice for what they truly believe in. Moreover, the article claims how a former teammate of Kaepernick is being supportive of his choices and the right to press his statement to the country. The author concludes by us people

Athletes should keep the sports and politics separated, they are totally two different subjects that shouldn’t be mixed. You shouldn’t protest during the national anthem because it is protesting America as a whole. There are many ways other than during the national anthem to protest. Protesting during the anthem can be come violent and lead to more violent and bigger

This is not a solid argument because the National Anthem is played in honor of our nation and the freedom of a diplomatic government; a player feels that his government is not holding up to its purpose then he has the right to not stand and honor it. It seems that the news only reports the problem of the racial discrimination and police brutality with no solution to fix these issues. Consequently, the players are using the same news to air their protest in which sheds light on thousands or millions of viewers about the problems in America for quite some time. Even Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints disagrees with the delivery of the message by stating, “It’s an oxymoron that you’re sitting down, disrespecting the flag that has given you the freedom to speak out” (Refusing 3). However, Drew Brees supports Kaepernick’s statement that he was protesting against the racial injustice. As stated by Colin Kaepernick, “I’m not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color… To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way” (Refusing 2). This is a great point that the flag provides them freedom, but what is the point of having the ability to protest if they do not use it.

In 2016, Colin Kaepernick, a 49ers quarterback, took a knee during the anthem. He did this to bring attention that there is an oppression of “black people and people of color.” He also adds that once “there’s significant change, and I feel that flag represent what it’s supposed to represent,” then he will stand. All of the players up to now wanted to bring attention to unjustified police shootings that ended up killing people because of their race. Kaepernick caused many people who were passive and didn’t know how to deal with this topic to take a knee during the anthem. He along with many people began to spread awareness that America has a racism problem that should’ve ended decades ago, but is only getting worse.

The San Francisco 49ers backup quarterback, Colin Kaepernick has been at the center of attention for quite a while now. He is now known for his infamous kneeling or sitting during the National Anthem. He has received both positive and negative feedback regarding his actions. Some may view his actions as right and justifiable, but his actions show nothing but disrespect and a lack of patriotism.

One day in a NFL preseason game Colin Kaepernick decided to take a kneel during the National Anthem and it created a national controversy. Many respected people agree with what he did and I agree too he made a statement for what he believed in. Many athletes before him made these kinds of statements for a cause that they believed in.

Although the NFL has more valuable teams then the NBA, it’s a different story when it comes to player. The king of the NBA, LeBron James, makes 64.6 million dollars in total earnings. LeBron James makes 15.7 million dollars more then the highest paid player in the NFL, Ben Roethlisburger,

If you ask many of the kneelers why they are kneeling they would tell you its because they believe the flag symbols racial inequality and bigotry and they don’t want to stand for that. However, that is no where close to what the American flag stands for. The flag and Star Spangled Banner symbolize courage, hope, and compassion. Many men and women of all colors have fought to give us our freedoms. And many have died to give me and you the freedoms and lives we have today. The professional athletes that kneel need to think through the fact that our soldiers have fought and some died to give these athletes the ability to play a game and make millions of dollars. And these soldiers have families just like everyone else and these families give up more then we will ever know, many not knowing if their family member will come back alive. Everyone, not just athletes, should be eternally grateful to these men, women, and families who have served our country and the least we can do is stand and respect the flag and national anthem (Deasey). William H. McRaven, chancellor of the University of Texas System and retired Navy admiral, sent out letters to many college presidents and athletic directors asking them to encourage their athletes to stand and show respect throughout the anthem. In his letters he said, “I spent 37 years defending freedom of speech and freedom of expression. Nothing is

In Conclusion, Colin Kaepernick did not violate any law or disrespect the flag. Some religious don’t do the National Anthem, due to religious beliefs. They have a right to do so, there isn’t a law that everyone needs to stand for the National Anthem. Many athletes didn’t stand for the flag, because they wanted to bring awareness to the issues that are obviously affecting minorities. The minorities are going to be involved in our future

Could disrespecting the flag of the United States of America considered patriotic? It all depends on the scenario. In the article “Patriotism” by Igor Primoratz, he mentions the philosophical study conducted by Stephen Nathanson, who states patriotism is defined as “Special affection for one’s country”, “Special concern for the well-being