Imagine getting fired from your job and having your livelihood taken away. Imagine facing ridicule based on your justified belief that your country does not care about providing equity in the eyes of the law and government for people of color. Imagine living in Colin Kaepernick’s shoes; an incredibly talented NFL quarterback who took a knee, instead of standing up, for what he believed in. Kaepernick risked being ostracized and losing the perks that came along with his multimillion-dollar contract, all for a cause that mattered much more. The protests during the national anthem that Kaepernick started did not have the intention of disgracing the anthem or our current president but brought attention to the senseless killings of innocent black lives because of our country’s constant neglect of black people.
How do you get the attention of millions of people to focus on a dire issue that might not affect them? You make a statement while you have their complete focus. Taking a knee during football usually occurs if someone gets unexpectedly injured while playing. All players, no matter the team, take a knee. The crowd becomes silent, and everyone in the stadium hopes the player can get up on his own. Colin Kaepernick took a knee for a different reason. He took a knee during the national anthem out of feelings of distress and pain. Police officers all over our country were killing innocent, usually unarmed, black people without repercussions. Black men in America were legally enslaved by the prison system. White America labeled protestors in Ferguson, Missouri as “thugs” for bringing attention to the cold-blooded murder of Michael Brown, in addition to the many others who were killed at the unjust hands of the law. It is almost as if while he was kneeling, he mimicked how athletes kneel while waiting for trainers to attend to an injured player. He took a knee waiting for the people of America to focus on the issues of police brutality, mass incarceration, and racial inequality. Kaepernick saw this as an opportunity to announce to the world that his athletic abilities do not define him. The NFL has a long history of cultivating a “hyper-nationalistic environment” before games commence. From the jet flyover, the football field sized American Flag, to the importance of who sings the National Anthem on game day, a certain type of “pageantry” occurs (Butterworth 205). Kaepernick bravely went against all of this blatant patriotism to provide attention to the overall unequal treatment of minorities in this country. Although he may not represent a current day MLK, Colin Kaepernick still has the ability to bring hope and change to a divided country, one that seems to constantly need the two.
Frankly, the NFL would not survive without the talent of its black players. So why do fans and owners expect silence from their favorite players on issues affecting their own people? The NFL has always been in the “business of making black men safe for white consumers in the interest of profit” (Andrews, Mower, and Rick 119). Athletes are not slaves to their sport, but real human beings with lives and families who depend on them to survive. Real human beings who fear the repercussions of being perceived as “too political,” and having their livelihoods taken away because of it. It has disappointed me to hear comments from my favorite players condemning Kaepernick for his bold demonstration. Yet, it makes sense that these men hide their true feelings about the situation to protect everything they have built. Becoming an NFL player takes nothing but years of hard work and dedication, and to see that crumble in such a short amount of time based on an opinion is terrifying to some. Therefore, lots of players, and even celebrities, do not wish to comment on the protests in hopes of keeping their reputations intact. On the other hand, some athletes have resorted to locking arms or staying in the locker room during the national anthem, standing in solidarity with Kaepernick. Although these actions may seem controversial, they prove undeniably effective. Many owners of teams have expressed conflicting views of the protests. While the commissioner of the NFL, Roger Goodell, has made it clear that the NFL will not “require players to stand during the national anthem” the owner of the Houston Texans, Bob McNair, has an opposite opinion on the matter (Wilner). He recently referred to the athletes as “prisoners” who “shouldn’t be running the prison,” while commenting on whether or not they should have the right to protest during the anthem. McNair redacted and apologized for his statement soon after, claiming that he “never meant to offend anyone.” However, many Texans players did not take his apology seriously, calling it “ignorant, disrespectful, and embarrassing” (Belson). Comments such as McNair’s legitimize Kaepernick’s claim that the unequal treatment of black lives needs formal addressing in the public eye.
Despite rejection from a great deal of the country, “the movement has spread from NFL Sundays to college-football Saturdays to the Friday-night lights of high school games” (Gregory). These protestors vary in age, race, socioeconomic status, and background. Many of which are school-age children who, in some school districts, are forced to stand for the pledge every morning. However, the law has declared that “schools can’t require students to observe patriotic rituals in the classroom” (Blad). It was explicitly ruled unconstitutional for schools to practice “punishing students for not participating in the Pledge of Allegiance,” but it seems as if most school districts do not care (Belson). School principals take it upon themselves to enforce unconstitutional rules that impede on student’s fundamental right of freedom of speech. In fact, during my senior year of high school, there were two very different perspectives on the topic of protesting the anthem. The movement “even trickled down into the peewee ranks” when an entire youth flag football team from my hometown, the Beaumont Bulls, took a knee before one of their games to show their support of Kaepernick and his cause (Belson). These 11 and 12 year olds understood the magnitude of their decision to kneel as Kaepernick did because of their background. Growing up in Beaumont, Texas as an African American comes with its ups and downs. On one hand, we were the so called “progressive” city that elected Texas’ first African American woman as police chief. But on the other hand, the city consists of white citizens who proudly wear confederate flag paraphernalia and shoot first and ask questions later. This predominantly black team began to receive death threats after pictures of the protest went viral. Instead of receiving support from the football community, the head coach got fired and the rest of the team’s season was canceled. Furthermore, my homeroom teacher made an announcement at the beginning of the school year threatening to write us referrals to the principal’s office if we dared to stay seated during the Pledge of Allegiance. I knew that he had no right to force us to stand, but the fear of getting in trouble clouded my decision. Nevertheless, as the year progressed towards election season, I gathered the courage to stay seated in solidarity. I could no longer let fear keep me from exercising my right to protest by freedom of speech. Colin Kaepernick’s resilience inspired me, and many others, to not let the fear of repercussions stop you from bringing attention to the important issues at hand.
The multitude of those who continue to speak out and protest the anthem do so in attempt to reveal to the country that the serious, serious problems of police brutality, mass incarceration, and inequality are prevalent. Side effects of such problems have especially intensified since the election of our current president. Kneeling, locking arms, or even putting a fist in the air during the anthem, does not automatically mean that you hate the country you live in, let alone disrespecting the people who have fought for your freedom. In fact, veterans fought for our right to protest this country’s mistreatment of people of color. There should be no debate on whether or not exercising your right to stand at attention for an anthem or flag is disrespectful to veterans. Nowhere in the constitution does it explicitly state a requirement for all Americans to stand for the singing of the National Anthem or the presentation of the American Flag. These tactics are meant to show how fed up we as Americans should feel due to the unequal treatment of people of color in our country. A piece of fabric and a song should not represent the sacredness of our country. What makes the United States a sacred place is the multitude of people who hail from different backgrounds, creating a melting pot of cultures, languages, races, and religions. Why should people stand at attention and respect an anthem or flag that does not respect its own people? The United States government, along with its criminal justice and law enforcement systems, has yet to create an environment of equal treatment under the law for its citizens of color. Therefore, until a concrete solution for restoring freedom in the “land of the free” evolves, we the people will protest however we like.
Despite demonstrators expressing a multitude reasons for protesting, many Americans, usually white, still argue that athletes specifically protest the flag, anthem, or our current president. These accusations stem from white Americans ignorance of the real issue at hand; no, not ignorance so much as their white privilege. When asked for his reasoning behind kneeling, Kaepernick explicitly stated that he will not stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. But instead of choosing to listen to Kaepernick, Donald Trump along with his loyal band of followers automatically disregard the truth and attack Kaepernick and fellow protestors for acting “disrespectful.” Jeff Bell, the president of the Broward Sherriff’s Office, used this exact word to describe the demonstrations. Bell urged “all members of law enforcement not to work any detail associated with the Miami Dolphins unless order to do so,” in response to two Dolphin players kneeling during their first two games. He proves to be ignorant of the meaning behind the protest by claiming that he “supports the Dolphins expressing their beliefs” but “there’s a better venue for this during the national anthem while the TV cameras are on them” (Jackman). These people claim that there is a better and more peaceful way of protesting. But the truth behind that reasoning is that they do not want to see protests for basic human rights while sipping their cold beer and watching Sunday night football under their comfortable roof of white privilege. Some would rather burn season tickets and jerseys, or stop watching the sports overall instead of owning up to their country’s dilemma of racism. Their radical reactions do nothing to benefit them and show how they miss entire point of the protests. I have no doubt that since Trump’s election, protesting during the anthem has become more widespread throughout the country. However, the increase in the amount of anthem protests does not mean that the blame for the abuse of people of color in America rests solely on his shoulders. Instead, he contributes fuel to the already burning flame of racism that still ignites in our country to this day.
The senseless argument that citizens specifically protest the national anthem can easily be rebutted by listening to the reasons given for the protests. Kaepernick utilized his presence in the public eye to expose the multiple problems our country has with unequal treatment due to racism. He could have just made a statement on how he felt about the issue, but instead, he used his position of power as a famous NFL quarterback to show America that his celebrity status has nothing to do with him acting as a concerned citizen. He did not foresee the possibility of losing his job as a consequence to his demonstration of frustration with this country. Kaepernick was let down by everyone involved in the decision to fire him. He posed a threat not to the team’s winning streak, but their popularity. Therefore, the NFL blackballed him for courageously speaking his mind on pressing issues that affect our country and its citizens. Most people do not understand that celebrities have the capability of performing their talent and acting as a private citizen at the same time. Since the genesis of America, people of color did not have advantage over their white counterparts and faced being treated as inferior. Throughout history, “African Americans repeatedly have been controlled through institutions such as slavery and Jim Crow” (Alexander 21). Today, we continue fighting for basic rights that white people have had for their entire lives. Because of their blinding white privilege, White America cannot fathom the pain, disrespect, and mistreatment that people like me face every day. So, they shield themselves from the truth in an attempt to keep their lives free of disruptions–a shield that people of color do not have at their disposal. Using the anthem as a background for these protests expressed true significance because Kaepernick needed to showcase that an anthem that does not stand for all Americans is not worth standing for at all.
In response to growing rates of police brutality, mass incarceration, and racial inequality in America, former quarterback Colin Kaepernick felt inclined to make a statement that would shock the country. Although he was not the only one capable of raising awareness to these significant issues, I believe he was the only one in his position brave enough to do so. Kaepernick risked being let go from his once in a lifetime job to bring attention to the state of black lives in America. Kaepernick’s main goal of focusing everyone’s attention on the issue of police brutality against black people has now transitioned to not only focusing on police brutality but also the corruption of our current government and the blatant racism we witness every day. Taking a knee during the national anthem did not have the intention of disrespect, but the gesture of humility. Kaepernick wanted to kneel in solidarity with black America to show that he took their side and that no matter your socioeconomic status, you can protest for what you believe to be right. The leading issue of racism in our country is now at the center of the current protests spreading throughout sports leagues. White Americans who disapprove of these justified protests must step out from under their comfortable blanket of white privilege and realize that people of color in the United States deserve equality.