Kneeling During the National Anthem: An Opinion Piece

A Bad Combination

The NFL represents “The National Football League,” which contains thirty-two professional American teams (“NFL Football Teams,” para 1). Over the past year to present time, there has been a lot of controversy within the league concerning a major political issue with select NFL players kneeling during the playing of the national anthem before kickoff. Kneeling is executed to represent a form of silent protest. The NFL players who are kneeling believe that there are prevailing issues in the United States that need to be brought to the public’s attention. According to the philosopher, Boxill, protest is meant to not only stop the injustice from happening, but to also show self-respect (Boxill, para 1). The injustices that the NFL players are silently protesting against during the playing of the national anthem, are police brutality and racial inequalities occurring in the United States. The issues behind the protest should be addressed, but the way the NFL is allowing players to kneel during a time which celebrates patriotism and the symbolic representation of our country, should not be allowed.

The protest first began in the NFL when a player from the San
Francisco 49ers sat on the benches during the playing of the national anthem at
preseason games (Mindock, para 3). Later in the season, he changed to kneeling
during the national anthem while his other teammates remained standing (para 4).
Ever since the first player, Colin Kaepernick, kneeled during the anthem, it
has started a widespread protest encouraging other players in the NFL to join.
The reasons behind the protest, such as police brutality and racial
inequalities, are extensive issues in the United States. According to the
mapping of police violence, police have killed 1,079 people in the United
States this year. Of these 1,079 people, 26 percent of those killed were of the
African American race, which represents 13 percent of the American population
(“Mapping Police Violence”). These statistics are well known and alarming to
most. The NFL players felt that something needed to be done in order to bring
the injustices to the public’s attention. As mentioned above, the protest
itself is genuine, but the way it is being executed is exceptionally wrong and
troubling. My first argument, is that the form of protest the NFL players are
using shows disrespect towards the members of the military and the American
flag because the national anthem is played during sporting events to display
patriotism for the wars that were fought. The national anthem was written by
Francis Scott Key during the War of 1812, which was a conflict between Great
Britain and the United States, killing roughly 15,000 Americans (“Star Spangled
Banner Lyrics,” para 2). By kneeling, the players are showing a lack of
patriotism for our country and this draws attention away from their concept of
protesting. Under Title 36 in the United States Code, Section 301 states, “all other person’s present should face the flag and stand
at attention with their right hand over the heart, and men not in uniform, if
applicable, should remove their headdress with their right hand and hold it at
the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart” (“United States Code,” para
2). Although there is no federal punishment for violating the United States
code, it shows overall disrespect towards the country. Many soldiers have lost
their lives fighting for the freedom of the United States, and to military
personnel, it may come off as very discourteous.

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The first argument not only enrages the majority
who serve in the military, but it also upsets the fans. The disrespectfulness
fans perceive from the way the protest is performed, can lead to unintended
consequences. Protesting in the public eye may lead to boycotts and un-peaceful
events. Ever since the protest began, more security has been needed at the
games to protect fans from violence that might occur due to the kneeling that
takes place (“Refusing to Stand for the National Anthem,” para 8). Also, fans
have been committing arson by burning the jerseys of players who promote the
protest to show dislike (para 8). Not only is the kneeling making the audience
feel uneasy, but causing them to lash out to also be heard.

My second argument, is that not standing up
during the national anthem is a very ineffective way to promote a protest of
injustice. Kneeling during the national anthem catches the viewers’ attention,
but can be a major distraction (para 6). It can be a distraction to their
teammates and can also cause internal team controversy for those who don’t
agree with the style of protest. Not standing for the national anthem before
the game, can get in the way of the main message they are trying to protest,
which is police brutality and racial injustices. The national anthem stands for
men and women who have fought for our country (para 5). Once people see a
player kneel, it is hard for them to get past the perceived disrespect for the
military personnel of the United States and listen to the deeper concerns of
the protest. Many fans get distracted by the action the players are performing,
not even realizing there is a bigger cause behind the action. Not only does it
distract the players and the audience, but it takes away from the overall
football game starting minutes after the kneeling occurs. In addition, the
protest draws attention away from the actual reason people bought tickets,
which was to view and enjoy the football game between two opposing teams.

There are many
objections that you could use to rebuttal against the first argument. I think
the best objection is that if one believes the United States is not holding up
the foundations the country was established on, not standing during the playing
of the national anthem is reasonable. The reason the protest was executed by
kneeling, was because Kaepernick felt that his country wasn’t showing justice
for all and was oppressing African Americans (para 3). He did not want to show
pride in a country and flag that undermined police brutality and racial
injustices, acting like these were not issues in the United States. Many other
players now kneel during the national anthem for this reason. The players are
not purposely trying to offend the military, police, or others who find it
disrespectful, they are trying to bring recognition to the issues, so other people can be informed. Raising
awareness of social injustice is their main target, not dishonoring those who
have risked their lives for America (para 3).

Another major
objection to the first argument could be that kneeling during the national
anthem is protected by the First Amendment. The football players are exercising
their constitutional right to peacefully protest, bringing the issues of police
brutality and racial injustices to the public’s attention. Legally, there was
nothing wrong with Kaepernick’s form of protest. The players of the NFL have
the right to speak out and make a statement about something they believe is
unfair. The First Amendment states, “Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise
thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of
the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress
of grievances” (Staff, para 1). In addition, it is an individual’s choice
whether or not he or she wishes to participate in standing for the national
anthem. With the freedom of speech, comes the right to express your opinion
peacefully with either direct words or symbolic actions without diminution, and
that’s exactly what the NFL players are doing (“What
Does Free Speech Mean?,” para 1).

The second argument emphasized that kneeling during the
national anthem is not an effective way to promote and protest the injustice
occurring in the United States. A possible response to this argument could be
that kneeling is an effective way to promote the issues because it easily grabs
people’s eyes on a platform that is viewed by millions of Americans. Kneeling
is an unexpected action taken by the NFL players and it shocks the audience
which makes them pay attention to the issues (para 6). This sparked other
players to join Kaepernick in the kneeling because they realized the public
would react, good or bad. Also, it created a conversation on social media and
in the news. The protest spread like wildfire, and people were widely talking
about it. On social media, there were those who took the NFL players’ side and
others who did not agree with the form of protest. By grabbing the fans’
attention, they are able to speak out and voice their opinions on racial issues
that needed to be displayed. Now that the public is more aware of the police
brutality and racial injustices, actions can be taken to try to prevent those
injustices from happening further.

The objection to the first argument was that refusing to
stand during the anthem was justified if you feel that your country is not
holding up the ideals it was founded on. The other objection to the first
argument was that the right to peacefully protest is protected by the First Amendment.
A response to these two objections could be that yes, NFL players are protected
by the First Amendment, but if they are going to protest it should be done
respectfully. The national anthem is repeatedly used to honor those who lost
their lives or those who were injured while fighting for the United States. It
is not something that should be belittled by a protest against totally separate
prevailing issues. You gain self-respect from protesting injustices done to you
(para 1). Through this form of protest, the NFL players are gaining
self-respect, but are alienating others such as select military personnel and
viewers who don’t agree with kneeling. The players are utilizing the First Amendment
to proceed with their protest, and therefore can’t fully state that the United
States is not holding up its ideals which is the reason why they kneel.

As for the second argument, the objection was that
kneeling is an effective way to protest because it makes others notice and is
widely seen by many. A response to this could be that kneeling does grab
people’s attention, but it takes away from the game NFL players are paid to
play. Adding politics to a professional sport, creates even more tension and
possibly the loss of fans. There are more effective ways to protest that are
more serene and reduce unintended consequences. The players could conduct a
protest that can be heard and seen outside of the football game, or even spread
the issues another way during the game. Several other ways the NFL players can
speak out about the police
brutality and racial injustice in the United States could
be by wearing a piece of clothing, making a speech, or dedicating a color to
the cause. Another alternative could be the NFL players kneeling before the
national anthem playing begins and then standing back up, which shows
solidarity without being divisive. If they used one of the other ways
mentioned, people would not feel disrespected and attention would still be
drawn to the present issues.

The protest against police brutality and racial injustices began by one NFL player kneeling during the playing of
the national anthem. This created tension between fans and the players. Now,
there are over 200 players kneeling for these issues and the number of players
participating in the protest is growing. There are some who think the kneeling
is justified and others who believe it is disrespecting our country and those
who fought for the United States. Police brutality and racial injustice are
major issues occurring throughout the country, and it is important for others
to speak out on the issues they believe are corrupt. Due to the First Amendment,
people have the right to freedom of speech with includes peaceful protest,
which is what the NFL players are executing. Although protesting by kneeling
during the national anthem is viewed by many as disrespectful and can cause
viewers to have negative thoughts towards the NFL, players are proceeding with
the protest. There is a significant reason behind the cause, but the form of
protest could be conducted in a more efficient and less controversial way. The
kneeling should not be allowed during the national anthem, so that there is
less tension and miscommunication between the public and players. The protest
should be executed in a different way in order to only draw full attention to
the issues at hand.

Works Cited

Boxill, Bernard R.
“Self-Respect and Protest.” Self-Respect
and Protest, vol. 6, no. 1, 15 Feb. 2017, pp. 1–13. Accessed 3 Dec. 2017.

“NFL Football Teams –
Official Sites of all 32 NFL Teams.” NFL.com,
2017,www.nfl.com/teams. Accessed 12 Dec. 2017.

“Police
have killed 1,079 people in the U.S. this year.” Mapping Police
Violence, 4 Dec. 2017, mappingpoliceviolence.org/. Accessed 3
Dec. 2017.

“Refusing to Stand
for the National Anthem: Top 3 Pros and Cons.” ProConorg Headlines, Procon.org, 27 Sept. 2017, www.procon.org/headline.php?headlineID=005323.
Accessed 3 Dec. 2017.

Staff, LII. “First
Amendment.” LII / Legal
Information Institute, 5 Feb. 2010, www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/first_amendment. Accessed 3 Dec. 2017.

“Star Spangled
Banner Lyrics.” Star Spangled Banner Lyrics and Meaning ***, 2017, www.american-historama.org/1801-1828-evolution/star-spangled-banner-lyrics.htm.
Accessed 10 Dec. 2017.

Mindock, Clark. “Taking a
knee: Why are NFL players protesting and when did they start to kneel?” The
Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 25 Sept. 2017,

www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/taking-a-knee-national-anthem-nfl-trump-why-meaning-origins-racism-us-colin-kaepernick-a7966961.html.
Accessed 12 Dec. 2017.

“United States Code.” OLRC
Home, United States House of Representatives, uscode.house.gov/browse/prelim@title36/subtitle1/partA/chapter3&edition=prelim. Accessed 3 Dec. 2017.

“What Does Free Speech Mean?” United States Courts, www.uscourts.gov/about-federal courts/educational-resources/about-educational-outreach/activity-resources/what-does.
Accessed 11 Dec. 2017.