We all can agree that this NFL season has already been an eventful and controversial one, even if you don’t watch sports. President Donald Trump recently spoke at a rally in Alabama and he called the NFL players who “disrespect our flag” a bunch of SOBs. He was referring to the five or six players that chose to protest during the National Anthem before the game.
Well, that comment created all sorts of controversy. On Sunday, many players and teams protested during the National Anthem by either locking arms to stand in unity, by taking a knee, or by not coming out at all. In Nashville, both the Seattle Seahawks and the Tennessee Titans stayed in the locker rooms during the song.
ABC: Matt DunhamAfter the games, many fans took to social media to express how proud or disgusted they were with the players. Even some players have expressed their emotions on the subject. The Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy said in a recent interview, “I can’t stand and support something where our leader of this country is just acting like a jerk, you know, angry and upset about NFL players protesting in a peaceful manner.”
https://twitter.com/_Trump45_/status/913019298049925120
1st amendment of US constitution doesnt protect free speech or peaceful protest when working in private sector #TakeTheKnee on your own time
— The Truth Ninja 🇺🇸 (@Rebelocracy) September 26, 2017
If you think I served this country so that people could take a knee for what they believe in, you're right I did. #TakeTheKnee #TakeAKneeNFL
— Nick (@njderoy) September 26, 2017
Our entire country should #TakeTheKnee in solidarity with Kaepernick and all the brave black athletes fighting white supremacy.
— Eugene Gu, MD (@eugenegu) September 27, 2017
No matter how heated we may be with either the actions of President Trump or the players, we need to remember why this all started. Back in 2016, Colin Kaepernick, a former quarterback for the San Fransisco 49ers, stayed seated during the National Anthem in a preseason game. During the time of a different presidency, Kaepernick was protesting the Star-Spangled Banner in the name of social injustice.
NBCAt the time he said, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.” Kaepernick, who is half black himself, felt that he could not “look the other way.”
NBC: Paul ChildsSo, as upsetting as Trump’s statements were, we have to remember what the protest is really about. Not the fact that what Trump said was hurtful, but the fact that there is a true issue of racial injustice in this country. Before you #TakeAKnee, ask yourself what are you taking a knee for.
