Cameron Cosby
Professor Sloggie-Pierce
English 211C
5 February 2018
Kneeling for Freedom
Over the past year, sports have been a topic of discussion in many homes. The conversations have not been about who wins and who loses, but an action taken by players prior to the game beginning. Colin Kaepernick of the San Francisco Forty Niners decided to use his 1st amendment right to speak up against police brutality toward blacks. His protest would take place during the playing of the National Anthem. Kaepernick would do this by taking a knee versus standing while the Anthem plays. Many citizens, including President Trump, strongly believe that the behavior of these players are unacceptable.
Players throughout the NFL are kneeling for freedom and injustice in cases of police brutality. Colin Kaepernick explained that he does not understand why he should stand for a country that does not treat him or any other black citizen equally in comparison to the white majority. Injustice in America has been a huge controversial topic within cases involving police brutality. Kaepernick’s teammate, Eric Reid, decided to join him after the police brutality case involving the killing of Alton Sterling .
Many United States citizens’ opinions differ from the NFL player Kaepernick. United States citizen, Matt Server, explained that the national anthem is more than a song that we listen to. The national anthem is a song that should be given full respect while being played. Matt believes that kneeling is not helping the country as a whole (Server). The action that these players are taking on the field is tearing our country apart even more due to the different opinions and the intense anger it has caused.(Server)
However, many players like Kaepernick feel that a country that does not stand against racism does not deserve a black man’s respect. Joshua Berlinger explained that a black man named Alton Sterling was standing outside of a food market where he was selling CD’s to the public. (Berlinger) The police responded to a call that Sterling had threatened an individual with a gun. However, when police got to the scene they shot Sterling multiple time to the chest assuming he was reaching for a weapon. (Berlinger)
The actions that these officers took made Eric Reid realize that African Americans are not being treated equally. Eric wanted to make a difference but he did not know how until he saw what his teammate Kaepernick was doing. When Kaepernick first started to protest in the NFL, he did not receive the recognition from the media or even his teammate Eric. (Reid) Eric explained that it was not until the third preseason that the media and he himself realized the good in what Kaepernick was doing. Eric then spoke to Kaepernick on possible way that he could stand for equal rights as well. (Reid) They then came to the conclusion that they would kneel together during the national anthem. (Reid)
Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid have made a huge impact on media due to their protest. However, many individuals believe that their act is disrespectful to the nation. The president of the United States, Donald Trump, has spoken on this controversial topic in attempt to bring it to an end. Trump believes that they are showing disrespect to the flag and that the National Football League should get involved. When the protest began, the NFL believed that they did not have to get involved with players speaking their mind on their issue. President Trump expressed his anger toward the decision of the NFL. Trump was quoted saying, “Can you believe the disrespect for our country, our flag, our anthem continues without penalty to the players. The Commissioner has lost control of the hemorrhaging league. Players are the boss!”(Trump)
Donald Trump has gained support on this specific topic from many citizens that have fought for our country in the armed forces. Many citizens that live outside the military base called Wright-Patterson believe that the NFL protest is a “slap in the face”(Kilpatrick). Many refuse to watch the football games as a result of the protest. One army veteran stated,” I find it very disrespectful. We’ve got G.I.’s dying to protect this country… I think it’s so revolting. I don’t even watch the NFL anymore. I quit watching,” (Kilpatrick).
Fans on both sides have voiced their perspectives on the protest. This year the overall ratings for NFL games went down drastically, but the NFL remains the strongest supported sport in the United States. Papa Johns, the pizza chain of the NFL, decided to take a side on this issue. (Blackmon) That was not a smart decision. The backlash resulted in the CEO of Papa John’s changing roles within the company.(Blackmon) The company apologized for their actions and had to face a drop in sales in their business. At the end of the season, Papa Johns and the NFL ended their partnership. (Blackmon)
Many believe that the protest is justifiable since we are at a time where police brutality remains front and center in social media. Using the national anthem, which symbolizes the battles where many soldiers died to raise our flag, as a tool of protest became an insult to many. No matter which side you favor, we live in a country where standing for and voicing your beliefs is a right of all of our citizens.
Work Cited
Berlinger, Joshua, and Nick Valencia. “Alton Sterling Shooting: Homeless Man Made 911 Call,
Source Says.” CNN, Cable News Network, 8 July 2016
Blackmon, Michael. “Papa John’s CEO Is Out After Saying Kneeling NFL Players Hurt Pizza
Sales.” BuzzFeed, 21 Dec. 2017
@therealdonaldtrump.”Can you believe that the disrespect for our Country, our Flag, our
Anthem continues without penalty to the players. The Commissioner has lost control of
the hemorrhaging league. Players are the boss!”twitter, 24 Nov, 2017, 3:48am
Kilpatrick, cleveland.com Mary. “Military Community Finds NFL Protests during Anthem
Disrespectful: Ohio Matters.” Cleveland.com, Cleveland.com, 17 Oct. 2017
Reid, Eric. “Eric Reid: Why Colin Kaepernick and I Decided to Take a Knee.” The New York
Times, 25 Sept. 2017
Server, Matt. “COUNTERPOINT: Kneeling during the National Anthem Is the Wrong Way to
Protest.” The Daily Nebraskan, 7 Oct. 2017