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HOW WE GOT HERE


By Daniel Scotto

For decades now, sports have played a crucial role in American culture. Out of all sports played in America, it can be argued that American Football, specifically professional football, receives the most viewership. Before the start of each game in the National Football League (NFL), it is tradition that an American flag is presented, and everyone stands in respect for our nation’s anthem. Citizens and fans embrace their patriotism as they proudly embrace what their country stands for. What does our country stand for? This is a good question that many are left pondering. 

In the NFL, when the national anthem is being played, it is common for television providers to zoom in on the players to showcase their reactions. The emotions often vary among players, as some often shed tears, sing along to the anthem, or even embrace one another. One player in the NFL completely changed the way Americans view the anthem today. In 2016, Collin Kaepernick, the quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers, was seen taking a kneel on the sideline during the playing of the national anthem. When he was seen taking a kneel during the anthem, the reactions he received ranged from as bad as it could possibly be, to as good as it could possibly be. Kaepernick kneeled because he believes that people of color are oppressed in the United States and oppressed specifically by white policeman. With so many innocent black lives being taken by police offers, he saw that there was injustice in our criminal system. Kaepernick said “To me, this is bigger than football, and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. (Matthew, 2016) 



By standing up for what he believes in, Kaepernick has brought up a topic that many people are uncomfortable talking about. Kaepernick knows people tend to shy away from this topic due to the believed notion of America being so “great”. Reality has settled in and there are many issues that are facing our country today. Race inequality has been an issue in the U.S. for decades, but it has been brought to the forefront due to protests taking place in the NFL. The NFL is not the only professional sports organization experiencing these kinds of protests.  According to Piquero, “Nearly all — 90 percent — of black respondents supported kneeling during the national anthem. Only 38 percent of non-black respondents did.” (Piquero, 2017)
These protests have led to mixed reactions from fans of the NFL. According to White, A new study from Leger, The Research Intelligence Group, suggests that player protests are influencing NFL viewership this year. "The study found that 16% are watching less with nearly two in five (39%) of those watching less citing the protest such as kneeling during the national anthem as a primary reason for tuning out." (White, 2016) While this has been going on, college football has not faced a decline in ratings, which might indicate some people do not appreciate the protests taking place in the NFL. Those people who love this country and embrace their patriotism might be blind to the issues we face as a country. Kapernick and other athletes that have been protesting are making these issues clearer for those who are blind to it. 

More athletes everyday are following the lead of Kaepernick and taking a stand for what they believe in. This happens to be the situation America has come to. Nike recently launched a campaign with Kaepernick at the head, where it highlights him sacrificing his career in the NFL for something much larger. I hope that Americans of all colors and creeds can come together to put an end to race inequality, police brutality, and ultimately be able to all stand together to honor what could be our great United States.
References: 
Matthew, R. (2016, October 10). By Taking a Knee, Is Colin Kaepernick Actually Standing Up For First Amendment Rights?
 Piquero, A. (2017, November 15). New Research Shows NFL Players Kneeling During National Anthem Significantly Hurting Viewership
White, D. (2016, November 18). New Research Shows NFL Players Kneeling During National Anthem Significantly Hurting Viewership. 
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Comments

  1. KHSeptember 19, 2018 at 6:12 AM

    Daniel,

    This is certainly a timely and relevant topic for this class blog. However, several glaring errors undermine your efforts.

    First, the font size is small. Our house style in normal. Similarly, the formatting on your references is all over the place. And they're all incomplete to boot.

    Second, you seem to have difficulty with your use of quotations. Check your punctation in and around quotes.

    Third, and more substantively, the post takes up media in tangential fashion (i.e., ratings). You should foreground media in these posts.

    Fourth, check some of your facts. Players standing during the anthem isn't nearly the tradition you suggest it is. This practice takes hold in the post 9/11 era.

    Finally, your discussion of "good" and "bad" reaction to Kap's protest is rather vague. Why not take up the heated controversy in substantive fashion? What role did media (social and legacy) play in amplifying and stoking the debate? How did major media outlets (news and sports) react?

    In sum, we're looking for more substance in these posts, not simply restating current events. Failure to proof read your work for common errors of style, punctuation and formatting only undermine your efforts.

    20/30 pts.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousSeptember 23, 2018 at 8:01 AM

    I agree with your assessment of the whole Kaepernick situation. I don't believe that this country is blind to the issues that plague minorities, everyone sees them. It's almost impossible not to unless you live in a place with no network access and don't leave that place ever. Football is very much so a shut up and play type of sport and that's a notion that most choose to follow as we look at the number of black athletes within the sport who don't kneel or protest with their teammates. We also should examine why it is that other sports aren't experiencing these problems. NHL, predominantly white, MLB also predominantly white with less than 10% African American players and US national soccer has implemented policies on standing after seeing some female players on the national team kneel in accordance with Kaepernick. The NBA is the only sport in which topics like these can be handled. Why because players have more rights than the teams do. In the NBA we see players speak out, coaches speak out, and even execs speak out and never is it done with fear of reprecussions. That is what football needs and all sports need, the ability to speak their mind without worry.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousSeptember 24, 2018 at 6:28 AM

    I think this is a phenomenal post with some very good information. Whether you stand for what he believes in or not, this is very informational and allows us to get a better understanding of what the protest is truly about in the NFL. Although Kaepernick might seem as if he has sacrificed his NFL career for something much bigger, news has just come out that is shocking. All over twitter there is news about Kaepernick donating thousands of dollars to pro abortion clinics for colored children across our country. Personally, I do not stand by C.K. or what he believes in at all. I think C.K. is two faced in a sense that he wants equality for everybody, but then is supporting a movement of ending unborn innocent lives. How am I supposed to back someone that says he wants to end oppression but then is donating money to kill unborn babies. If you ask me, it doesn't make much sense, but that is just where I stand. Overall, this was a very good post and I am happy to gain more knowledge on the topic.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousSeptember 27, 2018 at 6:25 PM

    The topic of NFL players choosing to take a knee during the national anthem is such a relevant topic especially in light of Collin Kaepernick's recent Nike campaign. I'm glad you clarified that both injustice towards Black Americans and police brutality were two of the central motivations behind Kaepernick's decision. I believe it would have been a good idea to address the confusion surrounding the movement.
    For example, a lot of people are confused regarding the message behind the Black Lives Matter. Some people believe that the Black Lives Matter Movement is claiming that only Black Lives Matter when in actuality the movement is saying black lives matter just as much as the lives of any other race. When non-supporters learn the actual meaning behind the movement, often times they change their mind.
    With the Take a knee Movement, a lot of people believe that Kaepernick is trying to disrespect the country or disrespect veterans and don't realize the issues that he's trying to sine a light on.

    ReplyDelete

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