Cameron Cosby

Professor Sloggie-Pierce

English 211C

5 February 2018

Annotated Bibliography

 

Wyche, Steve. “Colin Kaepernick Explains Why He Sat during National Anthem.” NFL.com, 27 Aug. 201

Colin Kaepernick is a professional quarterback in the NFL. Over the past year, he has been known as the player to sit or kneel during the national anthem. Many fans wondered why he would show this much disrespect towards our country. However, Kaepernick did not believe that he was showing disrespect to his country. He believed that he was standing up for others and himself. Kaepernick stated,”I am not going to stand up to show pride to a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color”. This statement states Kaepernick opinion on why he does not stand doing the national anthem using a good quality of negative pathos.  He believes black Americans are not getting the equal rights that we should be receiving from the United States justice system. I believe that this is a true statement and we should do something about it. The protest that Kaepernick is pursuing is causing a lot of controversy throughout the country and NFL. However, Kaepernick does not seem to care. He did not tell anyone what he was going to do prior to the protest. The NFL quarterback explained, that he thought about protesting many times before, however he wanted to learn more on the reasoning behind doing so. This is a popular source due to the fact that the NFL published it. Kaepernick stating his opinion on equal rights makes this source biased towards his viewpoint. On the other hand, the article strongly suggest that Kaepernick’s actions are disrespectful to his country. I am touched that he would risk his career to make a stance for an issue that has been a problem for so many years. Kaepernick used his NFL quarterback status to make his voice heard. This article supplies good facts that tell us the reasoning behind Kaepernick’s actions. Unfortunately, those who oppose his actions has created enough negative press to cloud the issue. The article implies that the owners were for freedom of speech, but fails to show their motivation. The NFL is a business. Negative press affects profit, therefore Kaepernick’s freedom of speech crosses the line of how much they will tolerate.

 

Washington, Marvin. “Kneeling Isn’t about Patriotism — It’s a Distress Signal.” CNN, Cable News Network, 14 Oct. 2017.

Marvin Washington wrote this article to express his thoughts on football players kneeling during the national anthem. Marvin was a professional football player in the NFL for 10 years playing for multiple teams. He discusses that many players did not participate in kneeling until Trump had a rally that told the owners to fire anyone who decided to not stand. Afterwards, Marvin stated, “the kneelings are not about patriotism— they are about systematic racial inequality in the criminal justice system.” He describes that Trump is starting a war between him and black athletes. Marvin stated his opinion multiple times in this article using pathos. For example, Marvin stated,”The inescapable reality for those of us raising black sons is that we pray every time they leave the house that they don’t end up becoming the next hashtag with a viral video after an encounter with the police.” This shows that he understands why players are continuing to kneel prior to the games. However, some NFL fans were “heartbroken” when they found out that players showing such disrespect towards the United States flag. Their beliefs became stronger once Trump created a war on words with the black athletes. Washington describes that we can’t expect white fans to understand why players are using kneeling as a protest because they are not experiencing the things that African Americans have to overcome. These players are taking a stand in a safe way. The protest are nonviolent and done in a peaceful manor. This source is scholarly and popular in my perspective due to the author being a NFL player and an African American citizen. Many facts are stated throughout this article that expresses our president’s viewpoint on the protest. Racism has been a major topic that keeps these supporters loyal. Patriotism is used as a path to discount the real issue with inequality for blacks with the judicial system. Many will use this as a diversion to paint a picture of disrespect for our country versus seeing the real issue. Washington used negative ethos in this article to describe how he stood on players kneeling. Marvin stated his opinion on equal rights makes this source biased towards his viewpoint.

 

Goodell, Roger. “Fall Meeting/ National Anthem.” Letter to Chief Executives/ Club Presidents. 10 Oct. 2017.

Roger Goodell is the owner and CEO of the NFL. Goodell’s main purpose in this argument was to convince all the players in the NFL to stand doing the national anthem. Many players throughout the league have been participating in a protest due to injustice and unequal treatment. Roger Goodell stated,”Like many of our fans, we believe that everyone should stand for the national anthem. It is an important moment in our game. We want to honor our flag and our country, and our fans expect that of us.”Many people including the president of the United States, thoughts differed from the players protesting. They believed that they were showing disrespect to the United States. The main audience that this letter is addressing is everyone that is part of the NFL organization. Throughout this letter, Goodell addresses the argument using a lot of positive pathos. For an example, Goodell stated,” I’m very proud of our players and owners who have done the hard work over the past year to listen, understand and attempt to address the underlying issues within their communities.” Roger Goodell is making this argument due to the president and other fans expressing their thoughts on the protest. Donald Trump repeatedly argued for the NFL to bring an end to the protest that was occuring. This action by owner, Goodell, brought a lot of negative pathos towards players in the NFL. Many players were angered because they could not express their own thought on a specific topic. The language of this article was expressed in a respectful way. Goodell explained that he understand what the players are protesting for, but it’s not a good look for the NFL organization due to different perspectives. I believe that this source is not scholarly because it’s filled with the owner and other people’s perspectives on the idea. Roger Goodell’s main claim in this article is to bring a end to players kneeling or sitting doing the national anthem.

 

Jones, Jerry .“Cowboys will bench any player who ‘disrespects’ flag.” 9 Oct. 2017, Arlington, Texas.

 

Jerry Jones is the owner of the Dallas Cowboys. Jones purpose in this argument was to tell his players to stand doing the national anthem. Throughout the 2016- 2017 seasons, NFL players have been taking a part in a protest due to unequal rights and injustice. He hopes to over the rule the NFL rulebook and make everyone stand during the national anthem in the league. Jerry stated,”If there’s anything that is disrespectful to the flag, then we will not play”.The main audience that Jerry Jones is expressing to is his team the Dallas Cowboys. This argument uses a lot of negative pathos, which consisted in anger. Jerry Jones stated,”If we are disrespecting the flag then we won’t play.” This expresses a lot of anger in my opinion because he is willing to not put his players on the field if they decide to take an action. Jerry Jones also used logos, stating,”I know the vice president did leave, because in his opinion the teams were.” This informed us that people were taking action due to the protesting occuring on the field. The tone of this argument persuades the audience (Dallas Cowboys) to follow Jones’ ruling if they want to participate in any games throughout the NFL season. The context of this statement is expressed from a political standpoint. Goodell’s main point in making all players stand for the national anthem is to bring respect to the nation’s flag. He believes if they continue to sit or kneel during the anthem it will hurt the business as a whole. Goodell wants to bring an end to the protest immediately