The Importance Of The Protest In The National Football League

The ongoing controversy taking place in the National Football League (NFL) is the protesting during the playing of the national anthem. The protest was originally started in the 2016-2017 season by Colin Kaepernick, who played quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers at the time. He, in fact, sat for the anthem and received a great deal of backlash from the public. Many players followed suit by kneeling, sitting, locking arms and showing solidarity. The backlash has continued and some fans are even boycotting the NFL. These NFL players should not be criticised due to the fact what they’re actually protesting- racial injustice for African Americans- is being completely being ignored because the flag is involved.
Colin Kaepernick’s original message was to protest the racial injustice and police brutality
that has been prevalent in contemporary society. That message has been completely misconstrued as more players have joined Kaepernick in his protest.
Critics have bashed these players for “disrespecting the flag” and “disrespecting the military” when that is not what they are aiming to do. They want to get their message across and they feel like the best way to display it is by protesting on a national stage. Players simply want to bring awareness to the ongoing issue of police brutality towards African Americans and the racial injustice that comes along with it. Critics of the protest have also called players “un-American.” That is completely false because they are doing the most American thing anyone can do by peacefully protesting for what they believe in. They are not inflicting any harm on people. They are not raiding cities and causing disturbances, like the protesters in Charlottesville did when they rioted the streets carrying tiki torches and beating up innocent civilians while spitting out hateful pro-White rhetoric. They are just kneeling, sitting or locking arms instead of standing. The players showcased their unity to the entire country, even when their own President shows his hatred towards them by
calling them “sons of b*tches” just for practicing their first amendment right to protest. The same person who said there were some good people within the crowds of the rioters in Charlottesville decided to lump all NFL players who protest during the anthem into one category, which is the epitome of hypocrisy. The following week in the NFL, entire team's, along with their owners, locked arms or knelt during the anthem to showcase their unity to each other, which is an important principle the United States is built upon. Division is something that the NFL players do not want, and if people actually take into account what their protest actually wants to accomplish, maybe America will become more of a united country.
The fact that the protest’s message has become lost is very unfortunate. The sad thing is that a good majority of the people who are criticising the protests are people who are probably sitting on their couch eating food while the national anthem is playing on their TV every Sunday. The same people who claim they will boycott the NFL will more likely than not be glued to their televisions watching the sport they love.