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
Word Count: 575
Joshua,
ReplyDeleteLike 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.
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.
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