National Anthem Division

The last couple of days, almost everyone has been talking about what is happening during the playing of the national anthem at American sporting events. Many players, mainly those of the NFL, have been staging what are referred to as protests during the national anthem. The first protest was by Colin Kaepernick during the a 2016 preseason game where he refused to stand during the national anthem. His protest was not noticed until two games later. In response Kaepernick 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 said. "To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder." Before the 49ers last preseason game Kaepernick had a conversation with Nate Boyer that made him change his mind about sitting during the national anthem; instead Kaepernick and his teammate Eric Reid took a knee during the national anthem in order to not come off as disrespectful for ignoring the anthem. Boyer had compared this move to when soldiers take a knee in front of a fallen soldiers grave in order to show respect. During that season there were a few other people that joined in with Kaepernick but not many. Kaepernick now is without a job, as it seems, for voicing his opinion and peacefully protesting against something he believed in. A few days ago, the president of the United States, Donald Trump, announced that no one should disrespect the American flag and that anyone who chooses to do so should be fired or otherwise punished. Over the weekend, all of the teams in the NFL had their own way of expressing their opinions on the matter. Many teams made the decision to stand and link arms during the anthem, many with owners and/or coaches joining them. Many players also chose to kneel with a select few choosing to sit. Some teams chose to not come onto the field until the anthem was over. Many teams realeased statements saying how their players had the right to protest however they pleased. A common theme among these statements was that the teams were only becoming more united because of the protest. Sometimes we seem to forget one person can start a movement, and a movement that may appear controversial can be the perfect thing to bring people together.