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A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION


By: Joshua Mundell
In the past few years, the professional sports world, specifically the National Football League, (NFL) has been experiencing a vast amount of protests. Sports protests have been around for decades, but thanks to a man named Colin Kaepernick, a NFL quarterback, a new wave of protests have begun. These protests all began when Kaepernick decided to take a knee during the playing of the national anthem. The backlash that Kaepernick received ranged from him being hated to him being praised (Matthew, 2016). What I often find ironic is that so many Americans today refuse to step in Kaepernick's shoes and fail to see the message he is attempting to convey. I hope to shine some light on why the anthem's kneeling is being supported, and why hatred should not be associated with the protests.

Believe it or not, the NFL protests have garnered support from many veteran members of the U.S. military. One man, Michael Sand, former Army Green Beret and son of an Army veteran wholeheartedly supports Kaepernick's efforts. Sand said, "It is precisely for me like Colin Kaepernick, and his right to peacefully protest injustice, that we were willing to serve" (Jacobs, 2017). Sand goes on to say that he and Kaepernick are very alike. Sand, a veteran, fought against terrorism. Kaepernick, an NFL player, put himself in the minority and protested police brutality and race inequality. Sand views both of these acts, his own and Kaepernick's, as fights for free speech (Jacobs, 2017). I believe it is very noteworthy, that a veteran that already comes from a military family has decided to support Kaepernick's protests, and I also believe this is a great way for those that do not support the NFL protests to put things into perspective.

An obscured belief of the NFL protest non-supporters is that the players are kneeling out of hatred for the United States. I say it is the complete opposite. I say that players are kneeling out of love for their country, and I do not happen to be alone when I make that statement. In an article from "The Washington Post", there is a quote from Barack Obama that says, "dissent in the service of a better union can be one of the truest expressions of patriotism" (Quiros, 2018). This quote from our former President applies directly to the situation in the NFL today. The men that are kneeling are showing love for their country, in other words, patriotism. When us Americans begin to realize this, then we can truly come together as a country.



I would like to think that more Americans are supporting the anthem protests every day. Whether this be true or not, I can only speak on what I know. What I know is that many American people are misinformed. Whether it be them not knowing that there are people like Michael Sand supporting these protests, that they think the kneeling is a sign of hatred, or because our current President, Donald Trump, has openly criticized Kaepernick and the protests due to what is most likely racial bias, there is something off. I urge Americans to open their minds and see things from both sides of the spectrum. What America as a whole may come to find is that these are in fact peaceful protests that are fighting against an unfortunate truth that exists in America, and that is racial inequality. If we come together though, change can truly be had.

References:

Jacobs, P. (2017, September 25). A former Green Beret who comes from a military family lays out why he supports football players kneeling during the national anthem. Business Insider. 
Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.com/army-veteran-nfl-players-kneeling-during-national-anthem-trump-2017-9 

Matthew, R. (2016, October 10). By Taking A Knee, Is Colin Kaepernick Standing Up For First Amendment Rights?

Quiros, A. (2018, May 29). Kneeling during the national anthem isn't disrespectful. It's a protest steeped in religion. Washington Post. 
Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/made-by-history/wp/2018/05/29/kneeling-during-the-national-anthem-isnt-disrespectful-its-a-protest-steeped-in-religion/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.fa1ffc29a103 

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Comments

  1. KHSeptember 19, 2018 at 6:39 AM

    Joshua,

    Like some of your classmates, you've chosen to write about a current controversy in sports. That's cool. And it's certainly relevant. But I'd like to see a clearer focus on the role media plays in all of this.

    You hint at this with the quote from the WaPo. Likewise, your suggestion that many people don't know about Sand and his position indicates that some facets of the controversy receive less media attention than others. This is a potentially productive line of thought.

    Moving forward, be certain to foreground the media in these posts.

    Finally, several typographical and referencing errors undermine your efforts here. For instance, it's "an NFL quarterback." You have it "a NFL quarterback." That may be a minor error, but others throughout your post suggest poor quality control on your part.

    For instance, check your use of punctuation around quotations. Most critically, you haven't used any scholarly sources – a major requirement for this assignment.

    This is a real problem of individual and group oversight.

    22/30 pts.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousSeptember 20, 2018 at 12:13 PM

    I really like how you connect Kaepernick to a U.S. Military veteran in Sand. I think this comparison and your analysis of how the two men are similar shines light on the positive reception of anthem protests in the NFL. Often times we only hear about how athletes should just “shut up and play” but it is nice to hear about patriotic Americans supporting Kaepernick’s protest.

    ReplyDelete

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