National Anthem Protest

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 my opinion I believe that it is up to you whether you stand for the national anthem or kneel down. America is about freedom of speech and self expression. Punishing NFL players for honoring their beliefs will just start a whole nother issue getting many unneeded people involved. This protest seems harmless to me, they believe that there are racial injustices and kneeling to the flag during the national anthem is like them praying for help for America not disrespecting it.

This act of kneeling down should be considered as an act of patriotic criticism, rather than a betrayal of the nation. After all, patriotism does not mean that we should love and support everything that the government conducts, but rather we should criticize for the greater good of the government, so that it could improve. Government could only improve, if they can hear the voice from the people. Only after accepting the criticism can one improve. Therefore, the focus of such protest in the NFL should be why they protested, instead of the act of protesting. After all,

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 controversy involving the NFL teams, their players kneeling, turning around, locking arms etc has caused many to debate on this topic. The national anthem is performed out of pride of the country and to pay our respects to the people that have fought, risked and sometimes lost their lives for the United States. Players not just from the National Football League but sports across the country have been protesting this because of racial injustice which has caused backlash from many people including President Trump. Keeping in mind that it is the player's right to express their first amendment by kneeling during the national anthem I and many other people believe this is wrong because they are doing it for all the wrong reasons, yes there is

It has set an example to the younger generation as we are seeing high school, college, and even youth athletes taking knees during the anthem all across the country. The NFL has experienced major drop offs in viewer ratings this season and many would trace some of that back to the protests on many teams sidelines (Sandritter). As many football fans have said they would boycott the NFL, because many see this act as being disrespectful to our soldiers and our country (Deasey). Another obvious affect this has is being a distraction to the team and coaches, because the media will definitely ask questions on the topic and not all teammates have the same thoughts on the topic as the

Having peaceful protest are becoming more violent and dangerous every year.When people are having these peaceful protest they should not worry about their safety and wellbeing at these peaceful protest. People should be able to kneel during the national anthem and express their opinion in public because, it’s their first amendment right to do so. Therefore no one should tell them they can’t kneel during the national anthem, and if NFL players do decide to take a knee there should be no repercussions as they are just standing up for what they believe in.

This act of defiance against the National Anthem was said to be disrespectful to the men and women that have protected this country. Many war veterans agree with this because they believe that the athletes are dishonoring the symbol that gave each of us our freedoms. “I stand for our flag and anthem, and I kneel for our fallen. That's what patriots do,” (Griggs). The veterans of our country are not the only ones expressing their beliefs on the subject; a publication by the Wall Street Journal states that before the National Anthem in Foxborough, Massachusetts, fans held a sign reading “Real Patriots Stand Up For Their Country” (“Anthem

(Jungblut and House) Many people have very strong feelings about when others show disrespect during the national anthem, especially if they have family members who they can’t even see everyday because they’re in the service. “I wanted them to see that the lives lost fighting for freedom in the American Revolution, the Civil War and the civil rights movement, should also be respected. I wanted them to understand what they are doing and why, because freedom is not something we can take lightly.” (Jungblut and House)

Picture this, a NFL player getting on the field and warming-up. Then, as the game gets closer to starting the field clears so they could get the flag on the field to do the national anthem. This is when tragic happens. This is when some NFL players kneel during the national anthem. Many people think that protesting the national anthem by kneeling is a bad thing. However, it’s what the players feel like doing even though it is a little disrespectful. Many players kneeled on one day and that was when president Trump made a comment about football.

In the NFL and other American sports there is a growing problem. Many players are kneeling during the playing of our National Anthem. These players actions has caused players in others sports like Baseball and Hockey to protest. These events has caused many people to express their opinions on the subject whether agreeing or criticizing.

People have been shocked by the recent issues that have happen with the NFL. some of the players have knelt down during the national anthem not to show disrespect but to show a peaceful protest against inequality in the united states. Some people are against this protest. The people who are against this feel like they are disrespecting the flag and the soldiers who have laid down their life and died for the country. They also feel that it is like treason or to disrespect the great america.then there are some who are for the protest because they feel like it lets them get their speech out to show how they feel. They also feel like having others stand up for themselves and get the word out that others would also get involved with this protest

You may have heard of some famous athletes kneeling for the national anthem as a protest against the way people of color are being treated by police and some politicians. This has been a huge debate across the country. It started when Colin Kaepernick, an NFL 49ers player knelt during the national anthem. Soon after Colin, many athletes started joining the protest. Although the first amendment states you have the right to protest I believe you shouldn't because it's disrespectful and counterproductive.

The NFL has just started to disrespect the flag by kneeling during the national anthem. They have been trying to free their expression rights in other ways. America's gift to my generation is freedom of expression. Not only players are kneeling during the anthem, it is affecting college players also. It also affects their standing and their pocket book.Losing thousands of dollars every year.

Football is an American sport, that many families and friends enjoy together. However, many people have not been interested in going to the football games they normally enjoy and not because of losses, but because of the disrespectful players in the National Football League (NFL). Kneeling during the National Anthem has become an issue, and some find it offensive because it’s disrespectful to people who fight for our country, it shows our country doesn’t care how we act, and it causes people of our nation to fight each other.