America: Love it or Leave it The first time the National Anthem ever played at a sporting event was the 1918 World Series. It was the seventh inning of the game and the Boston Red Soxs and the Chicago Cubs were playing, when all of a sudden they heard our country’s song playing. Jackie Fred Thomas, a member of the U.S. Navy, stood silently at attention. The players on the field faced the music and stood up tall, and the fans in the stands were still. They were taken back but cried and rejoiced in applause and smiles (Barbash 1). After this day, the National Anthem playing at the start of any sporting event was a grand tradition that Americans had started, but so was ignoring and hating on it as well (Barbash 2). A new trend started by NFL …show more content…
Many of the players parents convinced them to do this, and the school board of Laguna Creek High School encouraged their silent protest (Sandritter 7). This is not how we want our future generation of grown Americans seeing our Country because as a Country they must stand together hand in hand rather than fighting and protesting against each …show more content…
veterans against the thought of the athletes taking a knee during the national anthem, but so are other NFL players. New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees said that “He (Kaepernick) can speak out about a very important issue. But there are plenty of other ways that you can do it in a peaceful manner that does not involve being disrespectful to the American flag” (Barbash 3). So is this “silent protest” really that silent? Others such as Drew Brees, and U.S. soldiers such as Arthur Ballard believe to think that this silent protest, is screaming with disrespect and hatred towards our country. A huge question raised in the recent media is, “is there a rule stating that the pro athletes must stand during the national anthem?” The answer to that is surprisingly, no. According to an NFL media insider, Ian Rapoport, he states that “Players are encouraged but not required to stand during the National Anthem” (Wyche 2). On the fifteenth anniversary of the lives lost on the 9/11 attacks, there were mixed emotions on the field when the National Anthem blared out to the players and coaches on the field, the fans in stands and to everyone at home watching. Some of the NFL players such as Tennessee Titans linebacker Avery Williamson, New York Giants wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Victor Cruz, Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee wore patriotic cleats in honor of the lives lost 15 years ago on that day (Stites
The government in the United States supposedly revolves around American ideals such as equality and diversity; however, this is simply not the case. The meaning of democracy has been skewed in the United States to represent something entirely different than it did in 1776 when the country was founded. Today, our democracy behaves more like an aristocracy, where the upper class exercises power within the government and state, influencing discourse and therefore the laws and resources in our country, purportedly “for the people”. Democracy is presumed to provide everyone with equal political power, but the government in today’s America, although seemingly following this ideal model, does not. Instead, the elite upper-class have a monopoly over
The issue of being unpatriotic during the National Anthem was raised by people when NFL quarterback, Colin Kaepernick decided to kneel during the national anthem before a preseason game. Later, Kaepernick addressed the media by saying this act was a stance against “police brutality on people of color”. By raising the
However, how it does depends on the sporting event and occasion. For example, in ESPN’s 30 for 30 First Pitch, all MLB games were postponed after the 9/11 attacks. When President George W. Bush threw the first pitch for the World Series the whole country was routing for the New York Yankees to win. The film showed fans wearing different franchises’ merchandise while holding us signs showing their loyalty for the Yankees. For instance, a shot from the film showed a person wearing a St. Louis Cardinals shirt while holding up a sign that said “Our spirit will not be defeated.” Other people held up signs that said “Chicago loves New York: God bless America, and Red Sox fan: I love N.Y,” (ESPN). This showed that fans did not care where they were from. They agreed they were all Americans, and were there for one purpose: to watch the New York Yankees. When President George W. Bush threw the first pitch, the whole stadium went wild. Baseball then became a symbol of American unity, and communitas had brought them
If you are a big football fan then you might have noticed at the beginning of the season,that a player for the San Francisco 49ers, did not stand for the national anthem. The player's name is Colin Kaepernick. To some it might not have been a big deal, but to others it was a major controversy. They couldn't understand why Kaepernick did not stand for the anthem. From an online article by Steve Wyche, Kaepernick explains why he didn't stand for the anthem. “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color," Kaepernick told NFL Media in an exclusive interview after the game. "To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder." () Kaepernick is referring to all the police shooting of African Americans that have been happening. Since Kaepernick started sitting out for the anthem others in the NFL and in other sports have also started to sit out for the anthem. The issue starts with the black
My topic is God Bless America of Faith Ringgold. She is an African-American artist. She is not only a painter but also a writer, speaker and mixed media sculptor. Faith Ringgold was born on October 8th 1930 in Harlem, New York City and she is still alive. God Bless America is one of the most famous arts of Faith Ringgold that was produce in 1964. In that art, she used the oil on canvas and the dimension is 31x19 in. The subject of Faith Ringgold’s God Bless America is the woman on the background of American flag. There is another reason that make God Bless America became popular at that time. At that time, there was a Civil Right movement because the white prejudice against African American was enforced by the legal system. Therefore the theme
Every day, while facing the flag, American students exhibit their loyalty to the country by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Written in 1892, during the 400th celebration of Columbus Day, the pledge used in “ceremonies that would culminate in raising of the flag” (Pledge of Allegiance). The creation of the pledge resulted from one sole event, the Civil War. Before the American Civil War of 1861, the American flag used to be a rare sight for many people. The Civil War resulted in the rise of patriotism an...
After calling all athletes who kneeled during the National Anthem cruel names, not only did more kneelers appear, but the standing teammates linked arms showing unity. Their reason may not’ve been only to protest on racial injustice, but to rebel against Donald Trump and show that this is their right. Various people, including President Trump, think that every athlete who has kneeled should be fired because they should not be able to protest in such a disrespectful way. It’s not only fans who find this protest wrong, but even some players do, including Drew Brees. Brees says he agrees with the context of the protest, but not the actions of it stating, "[I]t's an oxymoron that you're sitting down, disrespecting that flag that has given you the freedom to speak
It stands for our freedom, it protects the amendments, the flag is a symbol of everything we stand for and everything you believe in as an American and if you believe black people are not treated equally you have the right to protest however you so choose. “First Amendment We have the freedom of [Religion, Speech, Press, Assembly, Petition” Therefore people can say and protest whatever they want under the first
Silk, Michael. (2005, Nov 2). Week 9 Fall 2005: Star Spangled Sport: Nation, Culture & American Exceptionalism. Presented at a KNES 293 lecture at the University of
It seemed that the majority of Americans disagreed on how they were doing it. That they use sports as a get away from the real world, a three to four hour break from reality and all of the problems that might be going on in their own lives. Most people that you talk to that disagree with the protest all say the same thing. “If I did something like that at work I would get fired, it is a double standard”. “When you protest the American flag, you are disrespecting our troops”.
Baseball was first introduced into the American culture, by English immigrants in the early 18th century, and its popularity slow grew. It wasn’t until the Civil War the popularity of the game spread, and both Union and Confederate soldiers played baseball during lulls in the fighting. After Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to Gen. Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse, soldiers from both the Army of Northern Virginia (Confederate) and the Army of the Potomac (Union) played baseball. (Schackelford Jul 4, 2009) This was the beginning of the American people love of Baseball began. It was also the first mention of baseball being the national game. During the bloodiest war in our countries history Baseball was there to help the two sides heal. It was another fourteen years till 1879 when Football would be invented.
...ese militaristic ideals is just a way to show the utmost respect for our military. At the beginning of each sporting event all the players and fans, despite their teams/affiliations, join together to sign the National Anthem. This is to say we are all Americans first and players/fans second. For this short moment, football does not matter; neither does corporatism or commercials, but for this instant we are celebrating America and those who fight for our freedom.
Have you ever thought about how much politics are involved in our lives? Or have you ever thought about how much we look up to public figures? Public figures influence on our lives greatly, and they are now being told that they should not have the right protest standing during the national anthem because the national anthem represents the power and conquest of our country. I believe that not standing for the national anthem is disrespectful not only to our country, but to the men defending our country.
Sports affect major institutions of society, including the mass media, politics, religion, education, and family. The Super Bowl gathers thousands of viewer’s attention, including those who do not usually watch the regular season games. Football is by all means an American sport. Since the day a baby is born in America, whether it be a boy or a girl, one of the first words they learn to say is ball, and after a few months they add the word foot in front of the word ball, and by the time you know it your baby boy is playing football, and your little girl is cheering “Go Steeler’s go!” and without intention their cultural identity starts.
Throughout the eighteen years or my life, I have observed the flag in many different places. When I was younger, I remember seeing it flash across a movie screen, waving high in the air, held by a triumphant American soldier. I also saw it every year on the Fourth of July in parades, covering floats, or held by enthusiastic participants. In fourth grade I was chosen to do the important job of taking down and folding the flag every afternoon, a job that took much care and importance. I remember wondering then, why is it so important that I do not drop this flag, and why it was such a big deal. I didn't understand why those soldiers on the movie screen were holding the flag so high in the air, and why it was so widely used on the Fou...