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Sports and religion in America
NFL anthem protest
Pros and cons of national anthem protest
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Many things go on in sports. From playing the game, to the press conferences, to the National Anthem. Lately, many athletes have been protesting the National Anthem because of race and other problems of prejudice and discrimination in the United States. However, kneeling during the national anthem is not the right thing to do. The first athlete to kneel in protest plays in the NFL; his name is Colin Kaepernick. He kneeled during a preseason game in an attempt to create discussion among people in order to shed light on racial injustice. It shocked the world. Although there are many issues, no one should be protesting the National Anthem. This song represents the land of the free and the home of the brave, not the land of the protesters and disrespect.” A couple days after, four Miami Dolphins players chose to kneel during the national anthem before their game against the Seattle Seahawks (who stood with linked arms).”” (Morrison). This just shows that more and more athletes are making the decision to …show more content…
Many people forget that other countries don’t have what we have, whether it’s less rights than us or the general way we live life with free will: they forget it. Kaepernick, among other athletes, protest by kneeling during the National Anthem because of something they disagree with. ‘’Marcus Peters, who plays for the Kansas City Chiefs, stood arm in arm with teammates and raised a fist during the anthem. He said in protest "I'm black. I love being black, and I'm supporting Colin as far as what he's doing as far as raising awareness of with justice system."’ (Morrison). Most things being protested involves race or gender. It’s okay to speak out on your opinions and feelings on these topics, but protesting by disrespecting this great country's anthem isn’t the way to do it. Many have sacrificed their lives to give us our freedom we enjoy today and disgracing it this way is not
Following recent cases of police brutality and racial oppression, many public figures are taking it upon themselves to stand against the issues. In this matter, Colin Kaepernick has been in the spotlight since his protest during a preseason game in August, where he took a knee during the National Anthem. In the articles “The Colin Kaepernick Effect; Another Athlete Stands Up For Social Issues” by LA Watts Times Sports Writer, Amanda Scurlock and “Colin Kaepernick’s Critics Called Him an Idiot. Who’s the Idiot Now?” by Slate Executive Director, Josh Levin, the authors talk about how Colin Kaepernick’s peaceful protest has had many positive and negative backlash. Kaepernick has received much support from not only his fans, but also people such
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
In Anthem there are so many rules and controls, yet there is one that truly rises above it all. And that word is “I”. There is no “I” only “We”, for the great “We” is what they follow. And they are one not individual, they are one. And poor Equality can’t seem to understand that the rules are rules, but in a way he’s making his own rules. And he is mistreated for his looks and appearance and dosen’t seem really one with his brothers. And he’s curious and most don’t even question life, and he notices the little things, “Yet as we stand at night in the great hall, removing our garments for sleep, we look upon our brothers and we wonder. The heads of our brothers are bowed. The eyes of our brothers are dull, and never do they look one another in the eyes. The shoulders of our brothers are hunched, and their muscles are drawn, as if their bodies were shrinking and wished to shrink out of sight. And a word steals into our mind, as we look upon our brothers, and that word is fear.”(Rand 46). He has a wanting to learn and build his knowledge, but the rules don’t permit his decisions.
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”.
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
On August 27, 2016, Steven Wyche, a media reporter for the National Football League, wrote a story about San Francisco Forty-Niners quarterback Colin Kaepernick and Kaepernick’s choice in acting on a movement to oppose racial discrimination of minorities. Wyche’s story was published through the NFL for the public eye to view. Kaepernick has been refusing stand for the national anthem. Not only does Wyche cover Kaepernick’s controversial actions, but Wyche takes a stand for Kaepernick himself.
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.
Henry Gass states, “The prospect of athletes speaking up has always been fraught” (2). Carl Stoffers states, “Many accused [Kaepernick] of thumbing his nose at America by not joining in a patriotic ritual that’s long been a fixture at sporting events” (8). Include the fact that the NFL which Kaepernick plays “[is] a league that promotes itself as a war game and brands itself with the flag” (Jenkins). Doubters are quick to label him unpatriotic because the place and time he protested might be wrong. The NFL show respect to military officials, Roger Goodell says, “The NFL believes very strongly in patriotism” (Jenkins). The military and American football has the same symbolic values. Carl Stoffers writes Starn says “[American is] the most sports-obsessed society in the history of the world, and we’re also a nation that’s obsessed with patriotism and pride in identity” (9). The national Anthem and the flag are symbols that American people believe make someone patriotic. Professor Blackistone writes, “[Kaepernick] dare to protest in the athletic arena, where [Americans] wrap sporting events in a prophylactic of patriotism used to demand political conformity and suppress discourse” (gtd. in
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,
This is because of the ignorance and the suspiciousness of otherness in our country. A protest technique as unique as sitting out of the National Anthem has no chance of being understood if something as simple as a name can’t be understood by the majority of the population in the country. The quote mentioned earlier also fits this perfectly, “Too often we’re so focused on what they said that we don’t bother listening to a word of it.” In Kaepernick’s case the method of sitting out of the National Anthem is more of a concern to the people then the issue that he is doing it for. It’s sad to say but media portrays things to get ridiculous reactions out of the public. In the case of ethnic names, employers look at the name and immediately toss the resume to the side, and the person may even be the most qualified. Another similarity between the two articles is there is an underlying meaning to both Kaepernick’s protest and Kashef’s ethnic names. Kaepernick is using the protest to bring the injustices that black males face in this country. Kashef’s is trying to explain that ethnic names have significant meaning and allow uniqueness. The two articles show how African Americans are discriminated against based on the color of their skin and their unique
They are not being disrespectful by talking or making jokes. They are just quietly sitting there, but letting it be known in their actions they are against police brutally. I applaud Mr. Kaepernick, because he stood for something. He lost his job, and his steady income, but he has never changed his point of view. As a social worker, if I am faced with a person who might be torn on what to do I can provide insight. I will let it be known to never disrespect someone. If you choose to take a knee or stand for the National Anthem, that is your choice. As human beings, we need to learn to respect each other. As a social worker, my role in addressing the issue is to see points from every angle. I must understand why some people might see this movement as disrespectful, and why others do not. My brother, James, is currently in the United States Airforce. I appreciate his service and I believe he is doing something noble. He loves being in the Airforce and serving his country. My step father, is an Army Veteran. He is also a White male, who is heartbroken each time he reads the stories of minorities dying by the hands of police