Running head: Protests

NFL National Anthem Protests

Juan De Santiago

University of Texas at El Paso

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Abstract

Everyone is told to stand up for what they believe in but no one is told that after they do

that they will be judged and verbally attacked. There are many social issues facing our country

and no one seems to raise awareness for it, that is until a professional athlete decides to take a

stand, or take a knee to be precise, as a form of protest. Professional football player, Colin

Kaepernick, chose not to stand for the national anthem to bring awareness to the unfair treatment

of African Americans. Throughout the last year there were many cases of police officers

shooting and killing unarmed African Americans, this got many people upset and Kaepernick

finally decided to bring attention to it, but this caused a series of events to arise.

Keywords: Protest, National anthem, Solidarity, Disrespectful, Kneeling

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NFL National Anthem Protests

Attending a sporting event is something that many people have done at least once in their

life, and at the beginning of all events the playing of the national anthem takes place. Everyone,

including the players, stand and salute the flag but what if the players started sitting or kneeling

during this moment of patriotism and respect. This is something that has taken place in the NFL

dating back to the start of the 2016 NFL preseason. Nothing is done without a reason and this

display by the players is no different than all the other different types of protest that have come

before. NFL players have recently taken up kneeling/sitting during the national anthem as a form

of protesting, this has led to a variety of occurrences and attention to come about because of it,

this has led many to ask is this action disrespectful and un-american towards the flag? I believe

that this is not disrespectful as the motive for doing this was not aimed at the flag, and the

players only did this to raise awareness about a bigger issue, but no one expected it to grow this

big.

This issue can be traced back to the beginning of the 2016 NFL preseason when

quarterback Colin Kaepernick decided to sit on the bench during the national anthem and the

following week when he knelt during the anthem before the start of their second preseason game

versus the Green Bay Packers. This marked the starting point of what would lead to a lot of

controversy for months to come. When asked about his decision to do that he declared that this

was his act of a civil rights protest for unfair and wrong treatment of African Americans, as well

as other minorities in the U.S. Kaepernick has always been a supporter of civil rights movements

and he believes that this is bigger than the game of football and that if he were to ignore what is

happening around the country it would be wrong of him. This all has a lot to do with the wrong

killings of African Americans by police with no consequences being given. When asked about
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Kaepernicks actions then 49ers head coach said it is his right as a citizen. In addition to this

the NFL also released a statement saying that they encourage their players to stand for the

anthem but it is not required. Since the beginning Kaepernick said he was aware that his actions

will not be popular with some people and he is also aware of the backlash he may receive. After

Kaepernick did this the first couple of times the effects of the protests started showing. Fans who

did not approve of his actions began to burn his jersey or even use it as a doormat, but at the

same time fans who appreciated him for protesting bought his jersey causing him to have the

third best selling jersey in the league.

Figure 1: Kaepernick takes a knee along with his teammate Eric Reid

during the national anthem, Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3786544/Colin-Kaepernick-knee-regular-season-game-time-

three-teammates-two-opponents-join-protest.html

Along with the effects surrounding Kaepernicks jersey, more players joined in on the

protests during the national anthem. Some of them sat, kneeled, or raised their fist as a form of

protest. But it didn't just stop there, even non professional sports teams took part in kneeling,

form city league teams, high school teams, to even some colleges, this gesture was taking over

the nation. As you can imagine this was all received with mixed reactions from fans all over the

country. Some fans were upset over what the players were doing saying that kneeling during the

anthem is disrespectful and that the players should be forced to stand. Many of the people

unhappy with the players happened to be military personnel or veterans that have served in the

armed forces. They believed that they fought for the flag and that kneeling is not only
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disrespectful to the flag but also to them and to all they have sacrificed. Others were saying that

they understand why they are doing it and that they see no wrong in it because they are using

their rights of protesting. Some of the people who were okay with this were some African

American people who felt like they finally had a voice who could speak for them.

One person in particular who was not happy about these protests was President Donald

Trump and he made sure people knew it. President Trump was at a rally in Alabama, while

speaking there he went on to criticize NFL players who knelt during the anthem. He called for

team owners to fire any player who kneels and even called the players a profanity during this. He

also called for fans to walk out of stadiums when players kneel to create change in the actions

happening on the field. After the comments made by the president many of the players felt

attacked and they decided to come together in a show of solidarity against Trump. This turned

the protest into not only a protest of civil rights but also a protest against the president. More

players decided to kneel during the anthem, others stood and locked arms with each other, some

teams even decided to stay in their locker room and not come out for the anthem.

Figure 2: Members of the New York Jets along with their owner stand and lock arms

during the national anthem. Retrieved from http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jaguars-ravens-players-kneel-national-anthem-article-

1.3517618

Through all of these shows of solidarity the teams were joined by their coaches and their owners.

After this Trump took to twitter again to say that he approved of the standing and locking arms
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but that the kneeling was not okay. Teams continued to show solidarity with each other through

the following weeks.

In the U.S code there are some guidelines for National Anthem etiquette, it states that

people should stand, salute the flag, and place their right hand over their heart. The keyword

there is should because people are encouraged to do this but they are not required to do so.

Also there is a list of certain things that are considered disrespectful to the flag, among these is

wearing the flag as apparel like in clothes, having it printed on napkins, plates, or other

temporary items, but kneeling is not one of those things. Out of the things that are considered

disrespectful some of those things you see very frequently yet no one says anything because it

isn't controversial and it doesn't involve celebrities.

Since Kaepernick first took a knee a lot has happened to him. After the 2016 season he

was released by the San Francisco 49ers in February. Even up to halfway through the 2017

season he has remained unsigned, many say it is because of all the negative attention he brings.

Since he was released many other quarterbacks have been signed some of which many people

argue are not as skilled and talented as Kaepernick. Recently Kaepernick has filed a grievance

against the NFL because he feels that he is being blackballed, which means not being treated

fairly because of what he has done. A meeting has also been set up between him and the

commissioner of the NFL to try and solve this issue. All of the controversy that has come with

the protests is still ongoing and just when things seem to settle something new happens to start

up the conversation again.

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References

Breer, A. (2017). NFL Owners Ready To Move Forward from National Anthem Discussions. Retrieved from

https://www.si.com/nfl/2017/10/17/nfl-owners-meeting-national-anthem-discussion

Havens, E. (2017). The NFL, American flag code, and National Anthem etiquette: What you need to know.

Retrieved from http://www.thespectrum.com/story/news/2017/09/27/nfl-american-flag-code-and-national-anthem-

etiquette-what-you-need-know/707952001/

Lindsay, Rowena. "Are national anthem protests hurting the NFL TV ratings?" Christian Science Monitor, 8 Oct.

2016. Opposing Viewpoints in Context,

link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A465929596/OVIC?u=txshracd2603&xid=65710c9d. Accessed 24 Oct. 2017

Mather, V., Fortin, J., Hoffman, B. (2017). After Trump Blasts N.F.L., Players Kneel and Lock Arms in

Solidarity. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/24/sports/nfl-trump-anthem-protests.html

Tatum, S. (2017). Trump: NFL owners should fire players who protest the national anthem. Retrieved from

http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/22/politics/donald-trump-alabama-nfl/index.html

Wyche, S. (2016). Colin Kaepernick explains why he sat during national anthem. Retrieved from

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000691077/article/colin-kaepernick-explains-why-he-sat-during-national-

anthem

ESPN (2017). QB Colin Kaepernick files grievance for collusion against NFL owners. Retrieved from

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/21035352/colin-kaepernick-files-grievance-nfl-owners-collusion