Poulter 1

Zachary Poulter

Ian Ellis

English 102

3 May 2017

Anthem Protesting

One of the most polarizing topics that has come up in the last few months is the topic of

anthem protesting. This became an issue when Colin Kaepernick, a quarterback for the San

Francisco 49ers, began to kneel during the national anthem. People responded both positively

and negatively but the loudest voices were those of outrage in response to Kaepernicks kneeling.

This is not the first time that athletes have protested the national anthem and it wont be the last.

All of the instances of anthem protesting are different but the one thing that they all have in

common is the end goal is an increase in discussion about issues in America.

Although Kaepernicks anthem protest has gotten a lot of attention

lately, there have been a few other instances of athletes protesting the

national anthem. One of the first instances of anthem protesting was in

the 1968 Olympics. Tommie Smith and John Carlos finished first and

third, respectively in the 200m run in Mexico City. When they went up

to the podium to receive their medals, they raised their fists with black gloves on. This was to

protest the ongoing racial discrimination that was going on in America during the heart of the

civil rights movement. Smith and Carlos were effectively banned from the Olympic village and

received many death threats in response to their actions. Carlos said in an interview with Time

Magazine, I wouldnt add nor take anything away because anything that happened to me was
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secondary to the need to make that demonstration, (Time). Their willingness to take and accept

some of the unnecessary and unwarranted consequences made his actions even more admirable.
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Another instance of anthem protesting that has happened before Kaepernick would be

former NBA player, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf. As a star point guard for the Denver Nuggets in

1996, Abdul-Rauf decided that he should not stand for the national anthem. As described by the

Undefeated website, At first nobody notices as he stretched or stayed inside the locker room

instead. When a reporter finally

asked about it, the issue exploded.

In response to being asked why he

was protesting he replied You cant

be for God and for oppression. I

dont criticize those who stand so

dont criticize me for

sitting.(Undefeated) He was subsequently suspended for one game but reached a compromise

with the NBA to protest in a respectable manner. After the season he was traded despite being the

teams leading scorer and assister. On his new team, he lost playing time and his starting job. At

29 years old, Abdul-Rauf was out of the NBA, two years removed from being a teams leading

scorer. Abdul-Rauf said this in response They try to weed you out. They begin to put you in

vulnerable positions. .. They try to set you up to fail so when they get rid of you they can blame

it on that instead of the positions he took.(Undefeated) All three of these athletes were forced to

face the end of their athletic careers almost directly after their protests. Although they had the

freedom to say what they felt, their freedom came with devastating consequences for both them

and their families. With these three athletes bravery in the face of conflict, they were able to set

an example and a path for Kaepernick and other athletes to follow.

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All of these previous athletes protests have lead to what may be the biggest of the entire

anthem protesting due to the exposure that Kaepernick has gotten from the media. Colin

Kaepernick is an NFL quarterback who is currently a free agent. Previously he was the starting

quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers and led them to a Super Bowl appearance in 2013.

During the past 2016 NFL season, Kaepernick decided to kneel during the national anthem. His

actions were met with both support and anger by people all across America. In his interview with

ESPN, Kaepernick explained his reason for sitting by saying, There are a lot of things that are

going on that are unjust. Things that people arent being held accountable for. This country

stands for freedom, liberty and justice for all, and thats not happening for all right now,

(ESPN). He then went on to explain that police brutality was his main reason for sitting and that

he wanted to Bring issues to the forefront of everyones attention so that people can realize the

situation and affect change.(ESPN). But not everyone appreciated his method of bringing issues

to attention. The outrage that surrounded his protest was not so much about what he was

protesting but the action of kneeling during the anthem. People saw his kneeling as a sign of

disrespect to the flag and to those who had fought for the freedoms that America brings. Some

people took this view a little extremely and the hatred and death threats ensued. USA Today

shows a couple of letters that they received about Kaepernicks kneeling. One goes as follows,

When they take a knee, they are spitting in the faces of soldiers like Pat Tillman. They are

spitting on the graves of everyone killed on 9/11. That may not be their intention but that is the

reality. Fuck you Kaepernick. I hope you die of AIDS. That is my right as an American.(USA

Today) This person recognizes that there is an alternative reason for his protest but he/she was

unable to look past the method that he used. While there were plenty of fans like this, there were

also many that supported Kaepernick and what he was trying to do. A few days after Kaepernick
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started his protests, Business Insider reports that the hashtag Veterans for Kaepernick was

trending on Twitter with messages of support for Kaepernick(Insider). This was an important

distinction because some fans were viewing his protests as a sign of disrespect to veterans, even

if they themselves were not a veteran. This shows that at least some supported what he was doing

and understood his First Amendment rights.

Just as perception of

Kaepernicks protest is varied

outside of the league, public

opinion within the NFL is very

mixed. When asked if his

teammates supported his actions, Kaepernick

responded saying, The support Ive gotten from my teammates has been great.

Ive had a lot of people say to me I really respect you for what you are doing. I also know

other players feel the same way. Ive had other players reach out to me.(ESPN) There

have also been other current and former NFL players who have not agreed with Kaepernick.

Their opinions have been a bit tamer than fans views. Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera says

My view is [the anthem] is about honoring the people that served and made the commitment to

our country, some who even made the ultimate sacrifice. When I stand, that's what I'm standing

for. I'm standing for the people that came before my father and the people that came after him,

(Fox News). It seems to be that those that are surrounding him and understand his personality

and motivation are more willing to listen to what he has to say. Others have their own view of

what the flag means to them and Kaepernick kneeling is disrespectful to what their family

members have given to fight for. Seemingly everyone has an opinion on Kaepernick but the most
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important opinion for the future of Kaepernicks NFL career would be the team owners opinion.

The Washington Post described the way the owners are feeling in three statements. Their article

states, Some teams think he cant play, some fear the backlash that would come from signing

him, and the rest genuinely hate him for his protests.(Post)Since Kaepernick is a free agent, one

of the current 32 owners must decide that he agrees with Kaepernicks protests and or that the

outrage that comes with signing him is worth it because of his play on the field. The odds of

Kaepernick finding a job are dwindling as the 2017 season approaches. This seems extremely

odd since many quarterbacks who have never had a winning season in their careers are being

signed to contracts but not Kaepernick. Hopefully, Kaepernicks career does not end up being

halted by his political views as Rauf, Smith and Carloss were but only time will tell.

Now that the 2016 NFL season is over, it is important to look back and to look forward to

what has come out of Kaepernicks kneeling. When Kaepernick kneeled, he did it to promote an

open dialogue about issues that he cared about. He believes that he successfully did this when he

says Now that people have moved on from talking about me, they are talking about the issues I

wanted to bring up.(ESPN) While some have opposed him, his actions have spread throughout

the country. Thinkprogress.org reports that Protests during the anthem have occurred in at least

52 high schools, 39 colleges, one middle school, and two youth leagues in 35 states across the

country and three nations abroad.(Thinkprogress) This shows that discussion or at least

awareness is something that has been spread through his actions. Whether or not you agree with

his method or message, one must come to accept the peaceful ways that he uses to get his

message across. Using the peaceful methods that he is using is much better and much more

thought provoking than rioting; as some people have tried to do to promote their message.
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In conclusion, the national

anthem is something that is revered

and respected by many Americans.

When Kaepernick and others are

seen protesting the anthem, many

people find that to be offensive

because of what the flag means to them. Each of the athletes has had the right to speak their

views but the consequences that follow their actions take away the freedom of the action. All

four of these athletes receive death threats from multiple sources. Each of these athletes that have

not had successful careers after their protests. Freedom with consequences is not freedom.

Hopefully with Kaepernick and others in the future, we can realize that people are much more

than their political views and we can stop crucifying people for using their platforms to send

messages they care about.

Works Cited
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Bieler, Des. "Trump Cites Report That NFL Teams Wont Sign Kaepernick for Fear of

Presidents

Tweet." The Washington Post. WP Company, 20 Mar. 2017. Web. 03 May

2017.

Gibbs, Lindsay. "Tracking the Kaepernick Effect: The Anthem Protestsar

Spreading." ThinkProgress

. ThinkProgress, 20 Sept. 2016. Web. 03 May 2017.

Jessewashington. "Still No Anthem, Still No Regrets for Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf." The

Undefeated. The

Undefeated, 02 Sept. 2016. Web. 03 May 2017.

, Madison Gray. "John Carlos: Looking Back at a Raised Fist and at a Raised

Consciousness." Time. Time,

16 Oct. 2012. Web. 03 May 2017.

Nancy Armour. "How National Anthem Protests Bring out Worst in People." USA

Today. Gannett

Satellite Information Network, 27 Sept. 2016. Web. 03 May 2017.

"NFL Players Blast Kaepernick's Decision to Sit during National Anthem." Fox News.

FOX News

Network, n.d. Web. 03 May 2017

Szoldra, Paul. "Colin Kaepernick Is Getting a Ton of Support from Military

Veterans." Business Insider.

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Business Insider, 31 Aug. 2016. Web. 03 May 2017

Wagoner, Nick. "Transcript of Colin Kaepernick's Comments about Sitting during

National

Anthem." ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures, 29 Aug. 2016. Web. 03 May 2017.

Jessewashington. "Still No Anthem, Still No Regrets for Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf." The

Undefeated. The

Undefeated, 02 Sept. 2016. Web. 03 May 2017.