knee during the presentation of the protested during the U.S. national anthem as a way of social protest. Kaepernick and others following his suit have silently protested racial inequality and police brutality. Protesting the national anthem is an appropriate form of free speech. Due to exercising the First Amendment, nonviolent protesting, and by being national, influential football players, refusing to stand for the national anthem is ethical. In midst of police brutality, specifically the shooting
The NFL represents “The National Football League,” which is a professional American football league containing thirty-two teams. Over the past year to present time, there has been quite a lot of controversy within the league. There has been a major political issue with select NFL players kneeling during the playing of the national anthem before kickoff. The kneeling of players is executed to represent a form of silent protest. The NFL players kneeling believe that there are prevailing issues in our
On August 14, 2016, Colin Kaepernick, quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers National Football League, kneeled for the United States national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner. By kneeling, he was protesting against racism and police brutality. In the last year, the issue of police brutality towards blacks has become a major public topic of conversation. This controversial issue led to Kaepernick standing up for blacks’ rights and protesting against police brutality by kneeling. Many Americans were
The National Anthem of the United States has always been respected by the American people. Standing during the National Anthem is done to show respect to the United States and to the servicemen and women who have fought for the people's freedom. There is controversy today in the National Football League with players kneeling during the National Anthem in protest. It is disrespectful to kneel for the National Anthem because it honors our soldiers, discriminates our society with racism, and makes
National Anthem Protests The United States of America is a multicultural nation in which all individuals are proclaimed free and equal. While this is true for many, African-Americans are oppressed and deemed inferior by society because of the racism and injustice that persists in America. This is seen through police brutality against black people compared to other races. In 2017 alone, the police have killed 1,079 people and black people were 26% (279) of those killed despite being only 13% of the
and the home of the brave? The United States National Anthem, “The Star Spangled Banner”, was originally written as a poem in 1814 by Francis Scott Key. The National Anthem, originally written as a poem titled “Defence of Fort McHenry”, was written during the War of 1812 and later music was added. In 1889, the United States Navy adopted it as the National Anthem, but it was not official until the U.S Congress made it in 1931. To a lot of people the National Anthem represents patriotism, freedom,
famous sports figure in history once said, “I cannot stand and sing the anthem. I cannot salute the flag. I know that I am a black man in a white world” (McKirdy). At first glance, this quote seems to be something that would have been said by the San Francisco 49ers Quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, in light of his recent protests, as well as other sports players who decided to follow suit, to the playing of the national anthem before football games. However, this is not the case. The above quote
National Anthem Protests Recent protests among National Football League players have sparked controversy across the nation. Although somewhat miniscule in comparison to dilemmas occurring worldwide, the protests have launched the nation into an all encompassing debate. While many people feel these players are disrespecting our country, that doesn’t seem to be the case at all. As an NFL player, and especially as a star player in the NFL, one has a platform that reaches more people than any average
Flag of our Fathers The Star-Spangled Banner is the National Anthem of the United States of America. It is a very important song that represents a free country where anything is possible. Recently the National Anthem has been the platform for protesting police brutality against African Americans. The protests have mostly been done during professional football games when players take a knee or sit on the bench when the Anthem is being played. Obviously, this has caused a controversy as people find
singing of the National Anthem. The basis of this controversy entails that while many people are standing during the Anthem, some are now choosing to kneel as an act of personal protest. In turn, this is resulting in a significant amount of citizens becoming upset, along with some teammates and coaches who strongly disagree with the actions of their teammates. Through a variety of points, one can deduce that although they do have rightful reasons to peacefully protest, the National Anthem may not be