NFL Players Should Stand Up or Stay in the Locker Room
It has been almost two years since Colin Kaepernick began his protest against standing for the national anthem. The “take a knee” protest against police brutality has been an ongoing issue that I feel has nothing to do with the NFL.
Though there was no apparent kneeling at the 2019 Super Bowl, I think players should either stand up or stay back for the national anthem. In 1945, NFL Commissioner Elmer Layden intended to make the national anthem a permanent part of every football game. This should not start changing now.
What started off as something that was barely recognizable soon became a controversial topic that was more rebellious than revolutionary. A wave of players followed Kaepernick’s example last year, causing the protest to transform into something much bigger. President Donald Trump weighed in, saying that players who kneel during the national anthem “maybe shouldn’t be in the county.”
This caused direct resistance against the president. The NFL then responded by announcing that players could stay in the locker room pre kick-off and would be fined if they came out and kneeled during the anthem. This sent the NFL into a public relations frenzy, as they tried to rebrand the protest as a protest of the American flag instead of against police brutality and racism in the United States.
There was a distinct nod to the Civil Rights Movement during the 2019 Super Bowl. As Bernice King, Rep. John Lewis, and former UN ambassador Andrew Young all took the field for the opening coin toss, it was obvious that the NFL was acknowledging the “take a knee” movement. I think this was smart and showed the general public that if three social justice and civil rights icons are still willing to support the NFL organization, so can we.
America was built on leaders such as them, people who have patriotism and persistence, so we should respect the NFL and its decision for making the players stand for our national anthem.
I had it made up in my mind that the NFL players who were taking part in this protest were disrespectful — but why? Why did I really think this way? My parents? My political beliefs? The media? After hours of research and reading an opinion piece posted on The Hill, I had solidified my decision. The opinion piece lists five reasons why we stand for the flag and sing the national anthem. Here are my thoughts on three of them:
1. We stand for the flag not to focus on what divides us but on what unites us, which is being an American.
Protests like these divide us as a country. Things are said and done that end up doing more harm than good. We are in this country for a reason and we are more than the name that identifies us — we are American and this deserves our highest respect and pride. Sporting events bring people together from many ethnic, religious, and social backgrounds for a common reason. We stand to show that we are Americans, no matter the many differences we all have with one another. Most of those people who attend sporting events can find satisfaction in that, so why can’t we all find satisfaction in being American?
2. We stand not because of past or present pain caused by injustice, but to salute the principle of justice.
Pain has occurred throughout our nation for decades, but how we have overcome such pain has shown perseverance within America. We should pride ourselves on this patriotism and pave a way for change and justice. Change is possible, the past has shown us that, but we must have good intentions to be revolutionary. I think this movement started with good intentions but turned into a rebellious act. An alternative to kneeling would be to simply stay in the locker room. This allows players to still take part in the protest, but in a more respectful way.
3. We stand for the flag, not for our generation, but to set an example for the next generation.
Standing for the flag and singing our national anthem represents our appreciation and hope for the future. We should embrace the fundamentals of patriotism and live in a way that we would be proud to share with future generations. Singing our national anthem in front of our flag represents hope and kneeling before it shows that you have given up on our country. We have the potential to grow as a country as we have done in the past but kneeling before the flag shows that these people have no hope for our society to get better.
I stand with the slight majority of America, as 53 percent of Americans say it is never appropriate to kneel during the national anthem. Political protest has the ability to create long-lasting change. This political protest failed to do that and ultimately separated our country even more.
