Freedom Of Speech In The National Anthem

Although NFL athletes are a huge figure in America today, they still choose to disrespect their country by kneeling during the National Anthem. I believe kneeling during the National Anthem is unpatriotic, separate’s teammates and the community, and is also bad publicity. This has caused people to protest the NFL by doing things such as burning their season tickets. Kneeling during the anthem has caused a huge controversial issue that is impacting many. This has not only caught the attention of adults but also children. The NFL is now losing its focus on football and putting more focus on politics.

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.

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

One of the things that stand out in in Anthem is the little amount of freedoms they have. The society has been completely turned on its head every little thing they do in life is dictated and controlled down to who they can like. They aren't even allowed to be taller or different looking from their brothers. One of the freedoms missing that stands out to me is the freedom of speech. For people here in America, the freedom of speech is something we all take for granted and don't think about all that often. We know it's one of our rights and we know that some other countries don’t have it, but we don't tend to stop and think about what it would be like if we had that taken away. That is something that everyone needs to think about from time to time.

Two weekends ago, many team owners appeased their players by participating in national anthem demonstrations after President Trump's rather profane demand on Sept. 22 that owners fire any players who kneel. These demonstrations didn't go over well with many NFL fans — millions of whom are white, older, and conservative, and see any demonstration during the national anthem as fundamentally unpatriotic. So last weekend, some teams tried to innovate solutions — to no avail. The New Orleans Saints knelt during the coin toss in their London game against the Miami Dolphins, which mostly puzzled fans. Were they protesting random chance? Baltimore Ravens players took a knee prior to the anthem, prompting a cascade of boos from their hometown fans who

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.

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

July 4, 1776 was the day America became its own country. 231,000 Americans fought for America’s independence in the American Revolution. The National Anthem was written in 1814, after the soldiers kept the flag standing during the bombs being dropped in the War of 1812. Every war or battle in American history has been for America’s freedom. Many people think that wearing hats during the National Anthem is rude and disrespectful to the soldiers who have fought or died for America’s freedom, but what about kneeling? Kneeling during the National Anthem is rude and disrespectful to the soldiers that have fought for America. The NFL players began kneeling last year during the National Anthem as a protest to police brutality against different races. President Trump spoke out against the kneeling and was accused of suppressing the NFL players natural right. President Trump is not suppressing the NFL players rights because no one has been fired and he has just as much a freedom of speech as any other man in the United States.

“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.

At the start of the 2016 NFL preseason, Colin Kaepernick, quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers, decided to take a seat during the National Anthem. His gesture during the first preseason game went unnoticed until the third preseason game. Many Americans disapproved and were very angry with him because America thinks sitting during the National Anthem is disrespectful to our military and our Nation. In an interview,32 Kaepernick said he was doing this because there is too much racial discrimination and police brutality against blacks. By the last preseason game, Kaepernick was kneeling instead of sitting because he respects the former and current military and he thought sitting was too disrespectful against the military. As the NFL season continues, so does Kaepernick's protest. Americans should be for the National Anthem Protest because the protest is fighting racial discrimination and police brutality.

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.

NFL Protest Many Americans disapproved and were very angry about the NFL protest. Americans think protesting during the national anthem was disrespectful to our military and the nation, but like Washington, I believe it is a reaction to racial discrimination and police brutality against African Americans. In the article “ Kneeling Isn’t about Patriotism—It’s a Distress Signal,” author Marvin Washington, a former NFL player, discusses how the protests by NFl players are for raising awareness of racial inequality. I agree with Marvin Washington because he showed in the article how Your racial background is a reason behind police brutality and how the law violates our constitutional

Due to many players protest towards racial injustice and police brutality this caused a tremendous decline in viewership because of this action toward the United States. Taking a knee during the national anthem causes many fans to get upset towards the players and football league. Fans are expressing that the protesting is very disrespectful to the sport and to the United States. While showing anger towards the players and football league they refuse to watch until something

The American flag, the simple three colored polyester recetangle, could easily be described as the cloth of our land. Millions of U.S. soldiers died for the fabric of our nation. However, they weren't fighting for liberty and free speech, they were fighting for the flag itself, later on, being buried in it. Yet, there are still people in this country who enjoy burning it. Those who believe this heinous act is okay might argue that the burning of the flag is a form of free speech. However, there have always been bounds set on 'free speech.'