Summary: Pro Athletes Gone Too Far

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 current debate over kneeling or sitting in protest during the national anthem to protest police brutality was ignited by Kaepernick in 2016, and later adopted by many other professional football players, high school athletes, and professional athletes in other sports, all who have refused to stand for the national anthem. These protests have created disagreement and sparked a public conversation race, police brutality, the flag and if the NFL is the best forum for to protest such issue. Colin Kaepernick has since said “he’s not protesting the flag but police brutality against African Americans. www.Procon.org

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

Athletes have been protesting in ways which are frowned upon by the government. Athletes should use their fame to promote a political agenda because everybody has an opinion.In the article, “The athlete as agent of change,” by Lonnie Bunch and David Skorton, athletes use their fame to promote a political agenda. In this article, Bunch and Skorton list the ways that athletes silently protest in sports. Ways that listed include athletes turning their back on the flag, kneeling during the national anthem, and refusing to salute the flag. These actions show that the athlete may be opposing America and by doing this, their opinion is shown. Athletes’ opinions are very powerful because athletes are often mentors or inspirations to their fans which

Have you ever watched a football game and wondered why some of the athletes were kneeling during the national anthem. Well if you didn't know they are kneeling to protest racism and injustice in this country. They are getting a mix of support and persecution at the same time which shows the country is at a complete divide. In this case persecution is just not the right way handle the situation.This country was set up and built upon a core value such as freedom of speech so why take that away now. Athletes have the same right to freedom of speech as an other normal paid person so they should be able to use it. Athletes should be allowed to peacefully protest the national anthem because the first amendment says so and guarantees free speech to all americans no matter who they are football players included, They have a voice on a national stage a should be able to utilize it, and just because their salary is higher than most people their opinion still.

An organization like the NFL needs to support their athletes when they decide to exercise their 1st amendment rights. For example, a current event that has ravished the mainstream media would be over the controversy with Colin Kaepernick. There are 64 quarterbacks total in the NFL at the time, Kaepernick not being one of them. At the end of the season Kaepernick had a passer rating of 90.7 “(ESPN, 2016)”. That was better than ten starting quarterbacks in the league at that time. Also, to add to his resume he only threw four interceptions during the season. His stats prove that he’s a proven NFL starter and his trip to the Superbowl in 2013 are examples of why he should be added to any NFL roster. Why isn’t he on a roster? It’s primarily

Without a doubt, we look at athletes today and from the past as if they are larger than life individuals. They show their personality through talent no matter what they play; some are better than others, for example some can kick or throw. However, at the end of the day they all have a different voice and a different story. People expect them to turn a blind eye to everyday events because of their status. People think of athletes as celebrities, they say they do not go through the same struggles as everyday people. That statement is far from the truth when it pertains to the issue of racism. Racism has been an unresolved problem for years whether it is in sports or athletes speaking for what they believe. Racism has had a big impact on sports such as Germany hosting the olympics and cheating, N.B.A. owners thinking they rule over their players, and the hidden discrimination that happens in locker rooms. Many times athletes have stood up for what they believed just to be shot down. Nowhere in their contracts does it state that because they are professionals that they must compromise their freedom of speech. Whether it be refusing to meet with the president, speaking out on racial injustices, or not standing for the national anthem, athletes have a strong voice in the fight against discrimination and other traumatic events. The fight for equality in sports and throughout America is a process that includes multiple organizations, the reaction of authority figures, and

There are some reasons as to why professional athletes shouldn’t be protesting because they’re popular. For example, the protests have been causing controversy among people. “While some have voiced their support of Kaepernick, the general public may have a different view.” This shows that not everyone is going to have the same opinion over a topic because the way someone will view things will be based on experiences in their life. In addition, there are other ways to make a difference that are not as harmful. Apparently, “both Kaepernick and the 49ers recently announced they will be donating to charities focusing on racial issues.” This shows that making a difference doesn’t always have to have people outraged because doing other helpful things like volunteering and going on mission trips manage to make a difference without angering people. Furthermore, sports are meant to be entertainment, and they’re taking that entertainment away. “Americans of all economic classes and

In Toni Smith’s article “A Leader is More than a Messenger,” the theme is politics in sports. Smith writes, “Sports are filled with political messages, both implicit and explicit. If you are unaware that politics are embedded into every part of American life, I strongly encourage you to read between the lines”. The article talks about how celebrities and public figures should be role models for society and be able to voice the opinion of their fans which is not usually heard. Smith’s opinion is well written throughout her article, She bases her opinion on facts, writes about surveys conducted and explains the results. The article goes into detail about Smith’s own protest against standing during the National Anthem. It states she is a division II athlete and she isn’t interested in the attention in which she got for her actions. Smith believes everyone should have their own voice and they should have the right to express that voice without consequence. She gets this belief across with the use of different rhetorical moves in her writing.

Kaepernick’s stunt has managed to influence other people to kneel during the National Anthem as well. Influential enough to become a trending topic even among the people in the White House. The main reason people kneeled according to Steve Wyche, an NFL Media Reporter, was “wrongdoings against African Americans and minorities in the United States”. African Americans were subject to many unjust cruelties such as the Jim Crow laws, lynching, and discrimination. It all started in the 1600s, when the government managed to implement a special racial feeling that would later grow into the legal term racism. The government used that to turn the poor whites and blacks against each other. Before this, the poor whites and blacks lived in peace because

To begin with, the status of someone’s reputation can allow for proper recognition to be received; Correlating with this, NFL players have “louder” voices than those excluded from the field. In Why Colin Kaepernick and I Decided to Take a Knee, Eric Reid makes to highlight his hopes that his role can help gain support for his stand: “We also discussed how we could use our platform, provided that us being professional athletes in the NFL, to speak for those who are voiceless.” Eric’s use of the term “professional” and his revelation to “help those who are voiceless” suggests that he believes that the high position in his area of work has a high likelihood

Professional athletes making political statements and sharing thoughts on their viewed social issues has been around since games were first being broadcasted and gave these athletes a stage to make a stand. Along with those actions entered debate for sports fans who are stuck between whether athletes should or should not share their views on things “bigger than sports”.This has been missing from professional sports in recent decades but is now slowly once again becoming relevant. The presidency of Donald Trump along with Colin Kaepernick’s taking a knee to protest the national anthem are the two main reasons for the

Professional Athletes should be held to the same political standards as anyone else, and not be punished from being outspoken just because they are famous. For example, athletes should be allowed to publicly speak, and not be held to a higher political standard than an ordinary human being. Like Chip Kelly, 49ers coach said in a press conference over Colin Kaepernick's kneeling during the national anthem, “that is their right as a citizen.” Athletes, such as Colin Kaepernick,