One of the biggest subjects
trending this weekend has been the uproar between the NFL and respect for the
National Anthem. If you have not heard, various players have been protesting
standing for the playing of the national anthem, either staying in the locker
room all together, taking a knee on the field, raising their fist, or locking
arms with their fellow players to raise awareness with race and discrimination
in the United States. This all started last season with Colin Kaepernick and
has spread this season on Sunday to every single team in the NFL participating.
President Donald Trump made a statement at a rally in Alabama stating that, NFL
players who do not observe the flag should be fired. This was the catalyst for
every NFL team to participate in protests on Sunday.
Many Americans take this protest as
disrespect for our military and our nation, but is that truly the message our
NFL players are trying to send? I believe that NFL players are spreading
awareness of racial inequality, the problem is they are not being clear enough
to our United States citizens if that is truly their message. With Trumps heavy
involvement in all of this, there is skewed confusion as to the reasons this
protest is happening and what message the NFL players want to send. Yes, they
are expressing their freedom to protest, but I believe they could send their
message in a more appropriate manner than making our military and nation feel
disrespected. I applaud the Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, Houston Texans,
Minnesota Vikings, and New York Jets, for standing, arms locked to show that
they stand together, respecting the United States and our military, but also
recognizing that we need to stand together and change the racial inequalities
that are so prevalent in today's world. Being from a family of veterans, I feel
that completely ignoring the National Anthem, either stretching, sitting, or
staying in the locker room is disrespectful to the men and women that made it
possible for us to have freedoms. I feel there are ways that this situation can
be brought to light and a message can be sent without disrespecting our Country
we call home.
With all this being said, all of
these players do have freedoms and can express their protest in any nonviolent
way they choose. Another point I would like to bring to light is that NFL
players did not observe the National Anthem until 2009 when the government paid
the NFL to have the players stand. Although I feel as an American, it is my
duty to stand and observe the flag when the Anthem is played; it is not
required.
The message these players are
trying to send is an important one, and we need to recognize that racial
inequality does still exist, and it is up to us to evoke a change. With that
said, we need to ask ourselves if there are more ways we can encourage these
changes without making another population (like our military) feel
disrespected.
