When it comes to protesting in the uniforms of their team, players who kneel during the national anthem are unintendedly protesting against the flag’s etiquette and the deeper meanings of it. As stated previously, this can upset many, even if the protest was intended for another cause, like Black Lives Matter. This raises the question of whether or not the turf where these players kneel on is the right place to establish a protest, that is, if these players should protest for the national anthem, to gain the most ground while upsetting the least amount of people. To consider this, lets look at the impacts of what is known as the “Kaepernick Effect”. Ever since the protests began, there has been an increase in media attention of the NFL especially. …show more content…
hundreds of schools, from college sports to youth leagues, has demonstrated ways to protest the national anthem. Their protests have flourished conversation around the country from all backgrounds. But with this, kids “as young as 11 (years old) have received death threats” and even a youth football team “cut their season short because of backlash” (Gibbs 2016). These effects have very tragic countereffects that affect even the youth of America. If the NFL were to encourage youth football players to work harder and go out and play better football, these countereffects of these national anthem protests should be terminated and no longer endured. Therefore, if an NFL player were to protest for a wrongdoing of the country (i.e. Black Lives Matter, protesting Trump), they completely have the right to do so, but it should be done in a different setting. The setting of stating an argument is key to both getting an idea out and establishing peaceful protest. For example, all NFL players have access to be interviewed for the media, have access to write their own opinion on social media, and have access to write their own articles, books, etc. on their opinions, as protected by the First …show more content…
The First Amendment states that any form of protest that does not show a present violent action against the government is completely legal by any means, which includes the freedom of expression and freedom of religion shown by Kaepernick and other national anthem protesters. In more specific terms, law professor Howard Wasserman from Florida International University conducted a 2003 legal study concluding that “professional athlete silent protesting against anthems is one of several forms of “symbolic counter-speech” (Bomboy 2017). However, there are questionable actions that Kaepernick used that could or could not be “silent, peaceful protest”. For example, Kaepernick’s reason for kneeling during the national anthem was due to the fact that he was heavily involved with the Black Lives Matter movement. Other than kneeling, he was later seen wearing socks depicting pigs in police uniforms, which is clearly not peaceful to say the least. When it comes to kneeling during the national anthem, is it really peaceful for kneeling for a flag that not only disrespects those who fought for it but causes hateful outrage by the opponents of such protesters? It is due to such situations that western nations including Canada have imposed limits on “hate speech”, in other words, “speech that others find hateful” (Scaliger 2017). It should be a gradual process, but
Anthony Johnson was a black man who arrived in Virginia around 1621 and was purchased to work as a slave in the tobacco fields of the Bennett Plantation. At that time he was merely known as “Antonio a Negro”, as it wasn’t common for black slaves to have last names. On March 22nd, 1622, an Indian attack on the Bennett plantation left only 12 surviving slaves, one of them being Anthony. In that same year a woman named Mary arrived at the plantation. Being that she was the only woman living at the Bennett plantation in 1625, Anthony could be considered fortunate to have received her as his wife. Together they had at least four children. It isn’t known how Anthony received his full name of Anthony Johnson, but the time that it is believed that this happened leaves some clues for speculation. It is presumed that someone named Johnson helped Anthony and his wife escape to freedom, apparently sometime between 1625 and 1650. In the 1640’s it is believed that Anthony and his family owned a small farm in Northamton where they raised livestock, which was mostly des...
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.
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
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
Football games are no longer enjoyable because politics has made its way to the stadiums taking the joy away when a person sees their favorite player kneeling. They can’t know or understand why they are choosing to kneel so to them they see no reason to respect it. What if that player themselves had served, lost a loved one in the military, or have known someone to be a victim of a social injustice like police brutality? Where’s the
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.
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
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.
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
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
Some NFL teams even were involved in the “Take a Knee” Movement for reasons like these starting in 2016. Though these things are happening in our country, it doesn't mean we aren’t working on them and supporting them in turn. That also doesn’t mean our country is in the right spot, or can’t improve in the future. By working together towards positive change and standing united, we can strive for a better future for all and respect America. While social issues should be discussed and everyone is entitled to exercise their freedom of speech, we can’t forget who paved the way for us to have those freedoms in the first place (“The
Is Kneeing the New way of Protest How come Donald Trump and others criticize football players for protesting, while others praise them? Some may say these athletes are being disrespectful, however this is not the case. Athletes use their platform of protest as a way to speak out for what they believe in. This is a peaceful protest. There has been no violence.
Some people might take offense, but at this point in time, blacks are the center of racism. Recently, the NFL football players have started kneeling during the national anthem. In my opinion, I think it’s a great way to show emotion. Personally, I hate standing or saying the national anthem.