The real problem with people such as Colin Kaepernick is they want to see change but don’t want to help make the change. Sure kneeling during the anthem is a great way to get people behind you and do the same thing, but what is that going to accomplish? All these athletes that once came from run down communities now live in gated communities with security, yet they will continue to say just how awful this treatment is. The solution is quite simple: these “American role models” could hang up the cleats and go out and try to help make the change. This change could include joining the police force, volunteering with local youth groups, raising money for poverty stricken communities, something for them to actually say that they are making a change. …show more content…
If we as a nation truly want to heal, separation is not the answer. The last time the United States was separated due to some racial issues, there was a Civil War where we killed our own brethren. Just like a torn ligament or open cut, the only way to heal is to come together. No one in America is an enemy to another; the real enemies are the ones overseas that our brave soldiers are fighting. As a country we need to realize that without the existence of the police, this country would be chaotic and would not sustain for very long. The fact that the police force exists is just very comforting. Imagine a day or two in our community where we didn’t have any law enforcement. Nobody would be there to respond to burglaries, fires, shootings, kidnappings, even speeding. All of the things that police officers do we take for granted. Without someone to enforce the laws, people would eventually feel the need to disregard all safeties and do as they
The NFL in particular is known for its focus on order, power and control, where operations are anonymous and interchangeable. With that players and employees are none else than compliant with league regulations. In this case Colin Kaepernick’s protest had the ability to go against the grain and break the façade of being afraid to voice his opinions. Today’s generation has become very open to sharing their opinions on social issues and Kapernick’s protest is just an addition. This protest instantly became political because of the fact that police brutality and racial is becoming a persistently uncomfortable issue that our country is facing. Every single there is something new about citizens being killed by the police for no reason, including recent cases such as Philando Castle and Terence Crutcher. Such issues will not be resolved until our society stands against it as a whole. It takes public figures such as Colin Kaepernick to stand with citizens to bring awareness about these issues in order to force change in the government and society. Whether industry leaders like it or not, I believe that such protest will continue to grow. Athletes and entertainers will continue to voice their opinions about social issues until changes come into effect.
First of all, kneeling the National Anthem is an ineffective and, counterproductive way to promote a cause. Knelling for the National Anthem isn't going to change anything besides lowering the rates on TV and getting negative comments online. Football coach Dabu Swinney said "I don’t think it's good to be a distraction to your team. I don’t think it's good to use your team as the platform." Patti Armstrong States that" you don’t get respect from showing disrespect." Philadelphia Eagles support the protest but disagree with the way he did so. Kneeling for the National Anthem is not a proper way to protest police brutality for colored ("Refusing"). These are some of the few reasons kneeling for the national anthem is an ineffective way of protesting.
This protest began on August 26, 2016 when Colin Kaepernick, a former quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, first took a seat on the sideline bench at a preseason game during the National Anthem. Later he transitioned to kneeling alongside his standing teammates. The reason behind Kaepernick’s protest was to draw attention to racial injustice and police brutality in the United States against African Americans. After the public noticed Kaepernick’s revolt, a national discussion sparked. Many people think that kneeling during the National Anthem was not the most respectful approach Kaepernick could’ve taken. The certain group of people that
“They arise from a culture of fandom that views players as valuable only so long as they can perform” [Almond]. The audacity to claim that we the fans do not support our players is outrageous. There have been many athletes throughout the times who have lost their abilities to play as they once did and are still respected for the things they did off the field. I as a fan do not only judge a player by their ability to play, but also what they does off the field. A modern example of this would be the 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. The man was once a great quarterback and has somewhat fallen from his former station. But us fans still care what he has to say. His decisions off the field affect us just as much as they do on the field. If we truly did not care for the players once they outlived their usefulness as Almond so carelessly states, we would not care that Colin did not want to stand for the nation anthem. Movements would have no been organized in support of this player. He would have simply been casted aside while we looked for the next best thing to entertain us.
The plight of athletes of color in American sports has been a well-documented and heavily conversed issue throughout society. Our treatment of these athletes was unwarranted, unfair and unacceptable, but all of that seemed to be over with pioneers such as Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in the early 20th century and finally bringing athletes of color to the same playing field as their white counterparts. Today, we proudly proclaim that our major American sports are completely void of all stereotyping and racism that plagued them in their infancy. It is obvious that this is not true with various examples such as the Donald Sterling incident showing that there are some whimpers of outright racism remaining, but there also may be be an issue that is much more widespread than we realize. A phenomenon we now call “unconscious racism” explains that in modern society we have effectively internalized our racist rhetoric to the point where it is now subtle and almost second nature. This is especially clear in the National Football League in the treatment of black quarterbacks. These quarterbacks are subjected to harsher and often more unfair scrutiny than their white counterparts, despite their similar production, as a result this new breed of subconscious racism.
We must take actions to reform police behavior! The problem is not the police nor the people of the United States, but the Federal Government system in which we all have to abide by. In order for a police reform to be implemented, the system has to be fixed and reconstructed. The people of the United States want to feel protected by the police, but on the other hand, they receive limited training on how to effectively interact with the people in the community they serve. Police officers are ordained by the power of the government. Police reform should start by giving proper training to new recruits and veterans, enforcing community policing and police accountability.
After looking at the three articles, I can see that the NFL players should stand during the national anthem. When these players refuse to stand, they are not only disrespecting the flag, but they are also disrespecting the people who gave their lives for our country (Junior Scholastic). The kneeling during the National Anthem is for a “Black Lives Matter” protest started by Colin Kaepernick, former San Francisco 49ers player. These players need to realize that there are better ways and better places to express their side of the protest. If it states that players need to stand for the National Anthem, they need to do it. Either they stand, or they don’t play during the game.
Football is not the only sport in which athletes are taking a stand for their views, Megan Rapinoe, a soccer player took a knee as well in protest with Kaepernick. Howard University cheerleaders took a knee as well during a football game. Even the entire Indiana Fever basketball team took a knee together.
In conclusion, comparing a similar event where a fan paid to see Barbra Streisand in concert who shouted, “shut up and sing,” after Streisand voiced her own political view during her concert. This event is similar to Tebow, Kaepernick, and Warner making their opinion known on the sports field in the same way some fans are saying shut up and play ball when these athletes state their belief on the field. One of these athletes state his belief, because that is who he is as a man. However, another athlete states their belief, because he believes the country is racist by not taking the pledge as everyone else on his team. Football has always been America’s favorite past times, and these sport athletes are thought of as idols on a pedestals.
For the qualitative paper, my research question is what do people think about Colin Kaepernick kneeling for the national anthem in order to protest social injustice (police brutality against African Americans). I will attempt to research how football and non-football fans feel about Kaepernick protesting and if they think kneeling for the national anthem was the most effective method of protest. I will also try to answer how would football and non-football fans perceive the Kaepernick situation if it was about another social issue or in another sport and if they think athletes should or should not be allowed to protest in sports. I as well will ask other open ended questions in order to prevent obtaining biased information from my interviews.
In this current day and age, professional athletes should represent their position that they take on conflicts by utilizing their social prominence. The concept that influential people, companies, or socialites can sway crowds to fight for a cause has become more efficient due to modern times. More than ever, the world is connected through variations of media and technology which allow words from anyone to travel virtually anywhere. When taken advantage of efficiently, people such as Colin Kaepernick can use their platform to shed light on issues that are ignored
They claim that they are kneeling because of all the cops shooting blacks and the first to take a stand, or in this case kneel, was last season’s-49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. He began kneeling during the Anthem to protest racial injustice, particularly the killing of black Americans by police and was alone for quite awhile but he then got more and more players to kneel. But in my opinion go at it a different way. You could state there is a problem but don’t go after something that americans would think is
There have been many people that have died, been jailed and marched for social justice so that everyone would have a voice (Freedom of Speech). As humans beings you have a right to your opinion as long as it does not hurt or harm others. As human’s beings people are going to agree to disagree. The players saw that they had a social responsibility to their fans to show that they care for the issues that are happening around the world. The players took an ethical in a diplomatic and nonviolent manner to promote change. People with power or large followings had an opportunity to show the community that they care (NFL, 2017). Therefore, the players were only using their platform to help the cause of people of color being
Similarly to what Abraham Lincoln said in his speech during the 1858, Illinois Republican Senate Race “ a house divided against itself cannot stand” (Lincoln). America is divided as of now, over the long matter of African-Americans. Police aggression has reached if not passed it’s peak, specifically towards Blacks. Police officers are using a derogatory approach, racial profiling, for apprehending people based on what they look like; skin color. Racial profiling has now led a lot of people to live in worry, categorizing members of certain communities to be suspects and criminals.Now the force that was created for the purpose of protecting the people, serving justice on a silver platter, and ensuring to maintain order in our society has crumbled furiously. This department has become the epitome of fear in our American Society. How can we ensure equal protection under the law, when a sector of the law is undermining and infringing on the rights of individuals? So we have to be advocates for change, or else the system will slowly dissolve and lose to uphold its legacy. We have to understand that as Americans of today’s society, we to be tolerant and open minded rather than being opinionated. Be able to detect a wrong act, without situating an individual into a stereotypical
Understanding the issue is just part of what’s needed. The purpose of the section is to identify a solution, or as may be the case, solutions. So, the question here is what can we do to improve the relationship between the police and the citizens. Over the years there has been many books written and studies conducted, all in an effort to find the best way to improve police and citizen relationships. To do this we must look at all available information. According to The Study Circles Resource Center’s Protecting Communities, Serving the Public: Police and residents building relationships to work together (2000), “Bring police and community together. We need to meet not just when there is a crisis or a big crime. We should do things to build relationships that are not so full of conflict. Then it would be easier to work together. We can build respect and trust for one another when we make time to meet with and learn about each other. This is the only way to do it.