Kneeling in the NFL during National Anthem NFL ratings are massively down from last year, and they keep dropping. Fans are burning jerseys and are refusing to watch games. Fans are being encouraged by an angry President to walk out of stadiums. All of this is happening in the NFL because of players kneeling during the National Anthem before their games. Colin Kapernick and one of his teammates were the first to kneel during the National Anthem during their last preseason game in 2016. This started a massive protest in the NFL and in other professional sports as well. Players around the country are kneeling, sitting, or raising a fist to protest how black people are treated by law enforcement. I do not agree with Kapernick or the other athletes who are kneeling during the National Anthem because they are disrespecting our country and flag as a whole, and it is hurting the game of football. First, Kapernick and other players are disrespecting our country and flag as a whole. He told NFL Media in an exclusive interview, "I am not …show more content…
It’s on Good morning America, our local news, and on sports shows like ESPN and Sports Nation. Instead of showing highlights and breaking news about the games, the shows and websites are always focused on the kneeling. For example, on NY Daily News under the sports section, the biggest picture that stands out the most is an article about Kapernick filing a grievance against NFL owners for collusion under Collective Bargaining Agreement. (Basically he is filing a grievance because he believes he does not have a job not because of his skillset but because he took a knee.) However, the story that needs to have the biggest picture for an article needed to be about Aaron Rodgers having a broken clavicle and may be out for the rest of the season. Instead, it is right underneath in a picture about a third of the size of the picture of
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.
Playing football comes with several risks factors that players’ acknowledge prior to playing the game starting a young age. Regardless, these players still chose to play the game, which they end up loving and cherishing despite all the risks accompanied with it. Football is one of the toughest sports in the world; it takes a certain amount of strength, speed, and aggressiveness to play 48 minutes of hard-nosed football. However, the National Football League (NFL) is in the midst of a controversial issue. Is the NFL getting soft? This has been a debatable issue for several years. While some believe that implementing all these rules in the NFL is progressively turning the game soft, others say that the NFL is not getting soft; it is just trying to make the game safer for its players.
Currently, media coverage is putting pressure on the NFL and not letting them deal with bigger issues. There is a lack of leadership with the NFL and Roger Goodell. Goodell is not taking things the right way. Teams are losing players because of their crimes and instead of dealing with that
How do Americans feel about kneeling in protest during the national anthem? That’s a simple answer, the views are diverse and opinionated all around. You have your right to voice your opinion however, this concept seems to daunt many as they seem to forget that, in this case, kneeling as a form of protest is an exercise of our free speech and therefore should be accepted as such. President Donald Trump is guilty of stating he’s a man of the people but feels the need to disdain many unheard voices by using offensive and hurtful commentary like, “Get that son of a b---h off the field right now! He's fired!” (Tennessean- Lowary, J) Unaware of the reasoning behind every player’s protest, Trump continues to berate his own people in more ways than
It is disrespectful to kneel during the national anthem because it disrespects the military and veterans, and could be done in a more professional way. I feel that kneeling shows how unappreciative those NFL players are. They get to go play the most popular sport in America for millions of dollars. There should be some consequences from taking this action. This protest could be done in a more professional way.
Kneeling During the National Anthem You have probably seen the debate across the news covering the controversial protest of kneeling during the National Anthem. This protest has stirred up conversation throughout the nation. Is kneeling during the anthem an appropriate way to protest? Supporters think that the celebrities are smart by using their fame to bring attention to America’s problems, but others think that football games are not the appropriate place to focus on politics.
The Star Spangled Banner is a sacred song in the United States of America. It not only is a symbol of the fight that soldiers have had to go through, but also a representation of freedom. When the National Anthem plays out of respect for our country, and those who fought for it, everyone is supposed to stand and remove their hats. Currently in the National Football League (NFL) there is a handful of players, mainly African Americans, that have been taking a knee or raising a fist during the play of our National Anthem. This I believe, is a great sign of disrespect for our country and our veterans. This I believe, is very immature and unnecessary. This I believe, should be put to a stop by the NFL and the players should be ashamed of himself for doing this. I am aware that the players have the right to do this, but there are many reasons why this should not be taking place.
Lately, everyone has seen or commented on Kaepernick kneeling the National Anthem. There are non-supporters like Stephen Duncombe defines Kaepernick protest as “Ethical Spectacle, [a] strategic use of a symbol, sign or gesture to seek a cultural shift” (Jenkins). Supporters like Mat Bonesteel of The Washington Post states “[Kaepernick] protest could have sparked needed conversations on … subjects: [such as] on the treatment of black Americans… on patriotism’s place in society; on the importance of symbols” (Gass). Colin Kaepernick should continue kneeling because he shows patriotism, awareness on subjects like freedom of speech. Also, the difficult African Americans has protesting for equalities.
When I was told to pick a topic that was problematic and related to civil disobedience, I immediately thought of an event that got more media coverage than anything else in August of 2016. Headlines resembling phrases like “Disrespect to Our Great Nation”, “Black Lives Matter Advocate Crosses Line”, and “Footballer Disrespects Military”. Other headlines included ones like “Football Player Takes a Stand by Taking a Knee”, and “NFL Player Uses Platform for Social Justice”. The national anthem in sports has traditionally been known and characterized with celebrities, and elaborate performances. However, in August of 2016 Colin Kaepernick changed that by taking a knee in protest for the mistreatment and oppression of people of color. Initially,
Issues of racial injustices have been a problem in the United States throughout generations. Athletes have always had their opinions on racial issues and have never seemed to hesitate to speak their mind. Recently Colin Kaepernick has been sitting out of the National Anthem to protest for “black lives matter.” The representation of race in the Article, Tommie Smith, iconic 1968 Olympics activist, defends Colin Kaepernick’s protest, by Nancy Armour, is a modern way to protest the racial injustices our country has been facing. Colin Kaepernick is simply standing up for what he believes in. It’s easy to say that he’s even following in the shoes of Muhammad Ali, Jackie Robinson, Smith, and Carlos in their stances on racial issues. Critics of Colin
Starting in kindergarten, we have allocated thirty seconds of every morning to reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. I remember hearing the announcement that we were going to do the Pledge soon, and sighing because I had to stand up and perform this “boring” task. As a little kid, I didn’t know what the Pledge of Allegiance really meant or why we had to do it. All I knew is that we would be performing the monotonous, fancy sounding, thirty-one worded stanza daily. While it was against the law for teachers to force us to say the Pledge, it was expected. This “patriotism” was assumed of us at a young age. It was givin with the mindset that we were the best country that should be loved.
Taking A Knee is a protest against racial injustice and discrimination of color. The movement began in August of 2016, when NFL star quarterback remained seated during the national anthem at a preseason game. When later questioned, he said that he would not stand for a country that allowed this horrifying discrimination against black and biracial people to continue. “I’m not going to stand under a flag or show pride in a country that oppresses black people and people of color.” (Colin Kaepernick) Eventually, he began kneeling instead of sitting, so that he could express his humble respect for the flag, but still continue his protestations. Soon after, his teammate Eric Reid joined him in
Yes!!! I jumped with excitement to finally be able to attend a game of my favorite NFL team of all time, The Dallas Cowboys. The view was great and the players looked ready to stomp all over the packers, but then there I was witnessing the crowd boo each other, and the opposing team players. What a shame I thought, a simple course of action being used to cause a nation's argument. Some of the players were kneeling during our nation's pledge. I thought WOW after everything that you receive here in America, the players must show some respect to our flag.As of 13 months ago, the issue concerning NFL players and kneeling during the National Anthem has taken over the nightly news. As recent studies show that an average of at least 30 players kneel
The National Football League (NFL) has been a staple on Sunday’s in America homes for quiet sometime. It provides excitement and generates billion’s of dollars, but what I told you that this league may lose viewers or even not exist in a few years. The NFL is a great brand, but what is potentially going up against may have you scratching your head as a parent to let your child even take a snap early in his football career if not taken care of.