During the 2016 National Football League preseason, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick made headlines for refusing to stand during “The Star-Spangled Banner” in protest of what he perceived to be racial inequalities and injustices in the United States. After Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones joined the list of people objecting to Colin Kaepernick standing during the national anthem, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith has revealed that the NFL gets paid to make player salute the flag.
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“When there’s significant change and I feel like [the American] flag represents what it’s supposed to represent, [and that] this country is representing people the way that it’s supposed to, I’ll stand”, Kaepernick said on August 28. “Because at the end of the day, it’s a sport, and people are going to be looking at some guys in the National Basketball Association to see what they’re gonna do as well”. Kaepernick says his protest is meant to raise awareness over race and police relations in America. But I think definitely, we’ll see a few guys in the National Basketball Association doing the same thing.
“It offends me. I know it doesn’t offend a lot of people, [but] it offends me because it’s a personal thing”.
As the anthem plays he stands, rests on one knee, swaps knees and then leans on both at once. Certainly, you can understand why a person who buried a loved one killed on the field of battle would be angry that Kaepernick’s protest by association is disrespectful. “Because of who wrote it”, she says. If you had a player protest, I would be OK with that. In the event that the button is pressed, my housemates and I stop what we are doing, stand, and face the other American flag that hangs in our living room.
The commentators say: “This week with athletes all over the country sitting down for the national anthem, the question on everyone’s mind is: ‘What is this little girl going to do?'”
The oldest Latino civil rights group in the United States opens every meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance, a tradition resulting from a long fight to prove Hispanics belong in this country. I’ve been a part of certain conversations off the grid, finding different ways to make our community better, especially for African-Americans. And I stood up with my hand over my heart and I applauded.
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Other NBA players have backed Kaepernick, including Golden State Warriors superstars Steph Curry and Kevin Durant.
