The NFL Protest Argument

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.

Kneeling during the national anthem is not just wrong it is also disrespectful to the multitudes in our country who have served or or presently serving this great nation-- the United States of America. The national anthem represents many things. One of them is the fortitude of our country’s flag. In the anthem it declares that the United States of America is “the land of the free and the home of the brave.” The flag represents the very core and essence of our nation as the only land on the continent that offers its citizens the freedoms it has at the price paid for ultimately by the brave. It is in no way oppressive nor racist. It is the theme song for every American. The intended audience of this paper is an appeal to all Americans. The quarterback of the 49ers football team, Colin Kaepernick, first began a protest to draw attention to a series of incidents against African Americans by remaining seated during the national anthem, “the Star Spangled Banner.” After the great stir Kaepernick caused in the media during September 2016, Kaepernick switched up his protest by taking a knee as a nod or gesture of showing more respect to current and former military after receiving an in-depth letter from Nate Boyer a former NFL player and US military veteran. Boyer served our country as a Green Beret. Over a decade ago, Boyer witnessed genocide while working in Sudan. He met numerous African men who were smitten with America and longed to have the

Colin Kaepernick, a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, has created much controversy in the nation over his latest protest. During a preseason football game Kaepernick was photographed sitting during the national anthem (McKirdy). When asked about the action later, Kaepernick explained, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” (Wyche). The nation exploded. Many showed their support for the quarterback, expressing pride in him for “standing up” for the things he believes in. Others displayed their anger with him for disrespecting the flag and all the things the flag represents. After seeing what a backlash his action received, Kaepernick decided to kneel instead of sitting, claiming that his new way of protesting would show more respect for those in the line of duty (Anthem uproar). Although he has the right to protest, sitting during the national anthem is the wrong way to draw attention to a specific cause.

Recently, there has been much debate regarding the national anthem at professional football games. Players, most of them African-Americans, have been kneeling during the national anthem in protest of the police brutality and discrimination against people of color that has been rising in the United States. Some believe that this gesture is disrespectful to the United States entirely. Eugene Volokh, a law professor from UCLA School of Law, addresses this belief as well as the players’ argument. His audience for his article is white Americans with an income of about $50,000- $70,000. These people may also have been military personnel or have been in position that does a service for the country. The current service men and women are targeted as well. This audience may not fully understand the reasons behind the protest, since they are not the primary encounters of the issue. In this essay, I will be addressing this audience in order to explain that it not in the NFL players’ intentions to disrespect the service men and women.

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

Now starting the new NFL 2017-18 season more players started their own way of protesting by either raising their fists’ or locking arms during the anthem. Recently President Trump made some controversial remarks regarding players kneeling. President Trump told NFL owners about how players should stand during the Anthem as a sign of respect and that NFL owners should fire players who protest. Trump said he wished owners’ would tell players who kneel to “Get That Son Of A B**** Off The Field” ! The following Sunday NFL Owners and Players’ responded very strongly by locking arms and taking a kneel showing The President this is about equity and equality not “disrespecting our country”

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

The negative media frenzy initially began when San Francisco 49ers Quarterback, Colin Kaepernick started kneeling during the playing of the National Anthem. This apparent act of National defiance was actually directed at drawing attention to the rise in police brutality and racial inequality. However, news broadcasters and social media targeted Kaepernick for the fact that he was kneeling during the anthem. This in turn, generated a social backlash, with all of the attention fixated on labeling Kaepernick as “unpatriotic”. This perception has continued as other NFL players joined the cause. Although, the underlying reason is still police brutality and racial inequality the media’s attention is still focused on the appearance of the NFL players as unpatriotic. Recently, President Trump tweeted about it, causing the propaganda to reach a new level of low. Referring to the players who refused to stand for the “Star Spangled Banner” President trump called them a “son of a bitch” (“Cowboy-up” 5). The whole incident from the beginning until now has produced a mixed response with fans and Americans’ alike. With the majority of the emphasis being placed on the effect of the player’s actions vs the cause leading to the initial protest, it has widened the already present and toxic divide in America.

In the past weekend in the NFL, players, coaches and team owners alike took a knee during the national anthem to protest racial injustice in the United States. The first person to bring this topic in to the limelight was 49ers quarterback, Colin Kaepernick. There were waves of exalt and hate storming towards Kaepernick but what did it mean for the NFL almost a year after that incident it seems as if the whole league has caught on. Yet this peaceful protest has been under scrutiny especially by President Trump who exclaimed that athletes taking a knee should be fired. There are also, certain folks who believe that the flag is sacred and should be respected as such and anything others id disrespectful towards the country and the people who die

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 most vulgar sense, Trump tweets implied that NFL players protesting the National Anthem needed to be fired. In addition, he suggested the NFL implement a rule that players cannot kneel during the National Anthem, commended Dallas Cowboy fans for booing players kneeling before one of their games, and suggested football fans stop attending games as a counter-protest. Trump’s recklessness positioned him as the center of the public controversy surrounding Kaepernick’s protests . Surprisingly, NFL leadership reached a consensus that they disapprove of the President’s

2017 is a rough year for the United States of America. In the center of racial divide, President Donald Trump is trying to keep the country content. Whether it’s protests all over the country ranging from racial discrimination, or players of the National Football League (NFL), nobody can just throw their issues aside and appreciate that they are living in the greatest country in the world and there are countries around the globe that live worse than us. Every country will have issues between the citizens within the country, but every person can do their part to help alleviate those problems. We must unite together to end the protests against the flag and the President as well ending discrimination between races.

Protest of the national anthem in sports started in the 2016 National Football League season (NFL) when San Francisco 49ers quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, kneeled during the anthem. In an article written by sports enterprise reporter Nancy Armour, Kaepernick gave an explanation for his protest “Racism. Discrimination. Police brutality. Economic inequality.”(Armour). Kaepernick started a trend within the NFL causing multiple teams to either kneel or sit down during the national anthem; in response to this, President Donald Trump according to Erik Brady a sports reporter for USA Today stated “NFL owners to fire players who don't stand for the national anthem”(Brady). Every NFL team protested by locking arms, sitting or kneeling during the national anthem due to what Trump said about the protesters.

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.”