Colin Kaepernick's Argument Analysis

In a demonstration of solidarity, more than one hundred and thirty NFL players have chosen to sit, kneel, or raise a fist during the national anthem. This is a movement that began last season when 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick chose to take a knee to protest police brutality against people of color. Although Kaepernick didn’t have much support from fellow players at the time, a recent turn of events has changed things. President Donald Trump’s recent commentary calling out those who chose to protest created contempt for him in the NFL community. In Megan Garber’s 2017 article entitled “They Took a Knee,” she examines exactly what Trump said and considers the impact of his words. It is indisputable that both the NFL players and our President

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.

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.

In the Atlantic article “They Took A Knee,” author Megan Garber describes the recent outbreak in NFL players and coaches, who have participated in the protest against social oppression, by kneeling during the national anthem. The article describes how there an been an extensive increase in the protests of NFL athletes “after President Trump’s harsh condemnations towards them, for kneeling during the national anthem”. As stated in the article, NFL protests began in 2016, when NFL player Colin Kaepernick “knelt during the pre-game singing of the national anthem...to protest racial oppression against African Americans.” This action has now been replicated by NFL athletes all over the country standing up for equality

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

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 NFL protests started back in 2016 with Colin Kaepernick. He quietly started sitting during the anthem, and eventually kneeling, to protest police brutality. He said that “he would not stand to show pride for a flag that oppresses black people.” Other players soon joined the movement, and fans criticized them because they said that they were disrespecting the United States. The protests really blew up this year after President Donald Trump said that NFL players that are kneeling should be fired, and he even called them “sons of b*****s.” After this, many NFL players and teams started to kneel and lock arms during the National Anthem, and some even stayed in their locker rooms during the National Anthem. Protests have continued for weeks, and this has divided fans. Many fans support the players’ decisions, but many also do not support them, and have threatened to boycott the NFL. This led to Roger Goodell, the League Commissioner, to send a letter to all the NFL teams asking them to stand for the National Anthem.

More and more players are becoming apart of this protest every week. Nobody knows when this conflict might end but people do have some ways to exterminate this problem. Fans of the NFL that are offended by these actions say that the association should fine players every time they kneel during the anthem. The NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell didn’t fine any players apart of this act nor did he announce any forms of punishment. The way the protest is going isn’t healthy for the American society. The only thing that Americans have in common is America and as long as people keep protesting, the more animosity will grow inside the diversity of people in America. Racism and discrimination is also being stirred up in the pot to make things worse. All these factors will soon turn this nation into bitterness and

NFL players have been kneeling in protest during the national anthem. They are protesting because they wish to see changes made in our country. They want racism to end, and they want to end police brutality. Colin Kaepernick once part of the San Francisco 49ers started when the kneeling. He quotes that “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.”

NFL players across the league have launched a new protest to take a stand against police brutality against unarmed African Americans. This protest takes place during the national anthem of the United States of America when players take a knee rather than standing at attention with hand over heart. Colin Kaepernick started this movement in 2016 when he felt that he did not want to honor a country that allows such violence on minorities. While police brutality is a serious problem in America, taking a knee during the national anthem is not the proper way to protest this issue. This protest is a disrespectful and a waste of effort protesting at the wrong times and offending countless people.

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

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.

The controversial kneeling protest started by former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is not a gesture against the national anthem, the American flag, or police, but is about becoming a “voice for the voiceless,” a Christian NFL player has explained.

Just so there is no doubt or misunderstanding from my family to the Green Bay Packers organization and the NFL: We are proud Americans. I served my community as a Police Officer for over 30 years. My family also sacrificed for me to do that over all of those years. Mr. Kaepernick's beginning of this whole thing, by his own words, was to protest against what he THINKS is police brutality and injustice. This narrative propagated by groups like BLM can only exist in an environment of emotions and falsehoods. When facts are brought to bear, their arguments fail to hold credibility. You have gravely offended me and the vast majority of my colleagues. As the football community, you have chosen to either propagate these protests during the one time

Former 49ners player and Twenty-nine-year-old Colin Kaepernick has started one of the utmost controversial movements of this year. These events started in August of 2016 when Kaepernick first sat out during the national anthem at a preseason game. Taking a knee to protest the events where systemic oppression against people of color, police brutality, and the criminal justice system violently were all being projected, he didn’t want to stand for something he didn’t agree with. Kaepernick has received so much hate for this one action and has even lost his job and became a free agent. Although these negatives have come upon him in the end the effect he has on America will be even greater.