By now, everyone has heard about the controversy of some NFL players taking a knee during the national anthem. Everyone has an opinion about it, and much like anything anymore, politics are brought into the argument. However, I want to keep politics as far away from this article as I can.
I want to start off by saying that I always stand for the national anthem, and that I am also not a fan of football. With those two things out of the way, I do not have a huge problem with people choosing not to stand for the national anthem. Nowhere does it say that people have to stand during the national anthem, and it is everyone’s right to choose whether they do or not.
Also, these players are not protesting because they do not appreciate the sacrifices that our armed forces make. They are not protesting the flag or the national anthem, so please stop making this story about that. They are protesting because of oppression. I know what the next argument is, “how does someone that makes millions of dollars a year feel oppressed?”
Maybe these athletes do not feel the direct effect of oppression, but they are standing up for their people. These athletes have a major platform to make a statement, to stand up for their people, so why would they not take the chance to spread their message? And anyone who says that African Americans are not treated unjustly is full of it.
There is a major problem in this country with certain groups of people being treated terrible. Attention needs to be brought to this issue and attention has finally been brought to it. Maybe instead of criticizing the players for their actions, saying you’re going to stop watching football, and throwing a fit like a child, you should look into why they are doing what they’re doing.
Photo credits to Sports Illustrated and The Hill