Just follow along with me for a minute…Objectively, since when is taking a knee disrespectful? In many sports, and in football especially, it is custom to take a knee for a fallen teammate, injured player, or to show respect for another. Kneeling is a sign of respect. At least it is in my opinion. In church, people kneel to submit themselves to God. In mosque, people kneel and kiss the floor to show respect and submit themselves to God. When a man asks a woman to marry, he knees to humble himself and place himself below her in respect of gaining her hand forever. Kneeling has always had a humbling, peaceful, and respectful connotation. So, why are we even talking about the President and his concerns with the N.F.L players showing peaceful protests through kneeling? It must not be a sign of disrespect for the flag or the country! It is in fact the opposite, if not much much more.
It is showing respect for the country of freedom, of the land of the brave, of the divisions of race and violence. The kneeling is a silent protest and expression of speech, one that is protected by our first amendment rights. As far as we have come in unifying the country, there is still so much further to go. These athletes have a platform to share a voice. They unify society in fun and games in a realm that is SUPPOSED to be “drama” and “politics” free. But now it seems as if President Trump created a larger issue in what is normally an industry that steers clear of any of the nation’s bi-partisan divide. The disapproval by the President is clear. But the outlash from the NFL itself—not just the players but the owners as well—highlights that they will not stand down so easily. If the NFL were to stop their peaceful protests, what would be the purpose of such an esteemed platform besides to entertain? The players and the owners do not have the burden to make political statements, but they should be able to make statements, physically or verbally, if they want to take a stance. I think what people are missing is that this is not even a true flag issue. It started as a race issue.
We allow these athletes to run around, damage their brains and their bodies for our entertainment and enjoyment, but once they try to SPEAK, we silence them? THAT is an injustice, that is hypocritical, and that is unfair to the players who serve as more than just American past time leisure…The NFL, NBA, MLB, etc are all platforms of voice as well as a unifying social mean for our culture. Integration of races began with sport as far as Babe Ruth entering the MLB and Muhammad Ali raising his fist in support of the Black Panthers movement. There is no reason to silence those who have fought for this country in other ways as well. Equally so, these players likely do not disregard the soldiers who fought for our country either. They are simply sending a message, and guess what, it is finally heard.
Disapproval of disrespect I understand, but I think the key here is that there is a misunderstanding of what is being said. The President, and many others, view kneeling during the anthem as disrespect. What if you consider that it was PRAYING for respect instead? Do you see the cry for peace differently? Do you notice that these men are holding each other during one of the most powerful anthems in the world? Do you see that they are HURTING? Do you see that the owners also feel stabbed by a country that they lay their bodies out for every day? Just like with the #blacklivesmatter protest, it was NEVER denouncing white lives, it was in fact trying to bring UP the minorities that felt like their lives didn’t matter as much as white lives seemed to by society standards.
There is upheaval of Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys for kneeling in solidarity BEFORE the anthem. This disapproval just further proves that it is NOT about the flag….why are we silencing at all?
It is just simply upsetting and disappointing that when people are trying so hard to unify the nation, there is STILL a divisive voice that lingers. When civilians’ voices aren’t heard through injustice in the criminal system, these athletes took it among themselves to bear the burden of protest. Hatred must be inevitable of course, but when it comes from the leader of our free world himself, when uninvites these athletes to his White House dinners, and he is outright being demeaning by calling these people “Sons of Bitches” it is just sad to think that there is an entire group of people who must also feel this same way.
I do not advocate or put my political view on others, nor do I think kneeling or standing will actually force any immediate change in society, and I am surely not suggesting that anyone should disrespect our country or the flag. What I AM saying is this: take a look at the people actually attempting to say something, figure out what they are trying to say, and THEN agree to disagree without demeaning constitutional freedoms. “The constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government, less it come to dominate our lives and interests.” – Patrick Henry.
