When Colin Kaepernick first knelt during the national anthem last year, many people—myself included—felt confused. He explained by stating, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” and referenced police violence, but I still felt confused as to why he chose kneeling during the anthem to express this sentiment.
The ensuing reaction showed exactly why Kaepernick needed to do this; the movement he started has become one of the most important in sports history.
Kaepernick’s protest was not the first, but the controversy of his method challenged others to join his movement. Malcolm Jenkins raised his fist in resistance and met with leaders in Washington D.C. to discuss community-police relations. Several other NFL players either joined in protest or showed their teammates support, but protests were usually limited to a handful of players per team. NBA teams linked arms in solidarity, but no major protests took place.
Donald Trump’s election inspired more demonstrations. After the New England Patriots won the Super Bowl, more than two dozen players skipped the White House visit. At the start of this NFL season, almost a dozen Cleveland Browns players knelt during the national anthem. Law enforcement officers gathered in New York to support Kaepernick. Michael Bennett of the Seattle Seahawks shared his experience of being assaulted by Las Vegas police and called for racial justice. Bennett called white players into the movement, with Chris Long, Derek Carr, and Seth DeValve responding by putting arms around protesting teammates. Many also attributed this uptick in demonstrations as defiance to the white supremacy demonstrations that occurred in Charlottesville over the summer.
Immediately after Kaepernick’s protest, football fans all over the country—most of whom were white—began to insult and threaten demonstrating players at every game and on social media. Kaepernick ultimately was not signed this offseason, something many attributed to fears of a backlash from fans. Fans and political commentators called Kaepernick and other protesting players “unpatriotic,” “whiny” and “attention-seeking,” while suggesting that he leave the country if he dislikes it so much.
Much of this is due to the fact a significant portion of the NFL’s fanbase also constitutes Trump’s fanbase: white, rural American men.
The strong reactions to these protests prove their necessity. The fact that so many people both dismiss the players’ concerns of racial inequality and reprimand them for protesting demonstrates that we, as a nation, need to have conversations about race, inequality, and privilege. So many white people still don’t understand the fundamental American problems of racial oppression and won’t even acknowledge the opportunities afforded to them by their whiteness. This protest offends them because it challenges white dominance and interrupts something central to white American conservative culture: fervent, untethered nationalism. The refusal to salute the flag directly challenges this ideology. Players explicitly chose kneeling, a respectful gesture, rather than sitting in order to convey their respect for our country. They instead intend to display resistance against white nationalism in America that has refused to reckon with our racist past and present.
In the past few days, President Trump has attacked demonstrating athletes, igniting a firestorm of resistance from the sports world, both toward him and his ideals. Friday evening at a rally, Trump declared, “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a b***h off the field right now, out, he’s fired. He’s fired!’” On Saturday, Trump rescinded his White House invitation to the NBA Champion Golden State Warriors because players hesitated about whether to attend, a move seen by many as despotic. Trump demanded unconditional fealty from anyone that would visit.
These acts sparked a wave of resistance. NBA stars such as LeBron James, Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant and Coach Steve Kerr spoke out strongly against the president’s statements. Kerr, responding to backlash against anthem protests, countered with, “Well, you know what else is disrespectful to our flag? Racism. And one’s way worse than the other.”
NFL player Lorenzo Alexander pointed to Trump’s depiction of Nazis as “decent people” and peaceful NFL players as “SOBs.” He said, “I don’t think you can put us all in just a box...I have to be for my country or for social justice. I think I can be for everything.”
On Sunday, NFL players protested in the hundreds. Owners and coaches joined in, sending a message that they would not be intimidated by the president’s bullying. And even players that didn’t actively support the protest publicly recognized their teammates’ rights to protest and promoted unity with their NFL brothers. Players all over the NFL and NBA joined together to recognize what Audre Lorde so eloquently stated: “Without community, there is no liberation.”
Calls for athletes to “stick to sports” are unreasonable and unethical. These directions imply that players are incapable of important political thought. This notion pigeon-holes them exclusively as athletes, rather than recognizing the intersection of their identities and experiences that leads to a complex human being with unique skills and traits.
In a supposed informed democracy like ours, all citizens—regardless of profession—should be permitted to to confidently express their political beliefs peacefully in whatever way they see fit. Athletes are public icons, and thus their platform gives them not only the right, but also the responsibility, to act on societal problems. Each athlete chooses their method. Some prefer quiet, grassroots work and others prefer controversial public statements. There will never be a perfect protest, as any effective protest forces attention toward an issue and creates discomfort by interrupting society.
Anyone with the ability to change the world for good has the responsibility to act, and the great ability of these athletes comes with the great responsibility to make the world a better place. Athletes and coaches all over the country are watching as people of color are killed and treated unfairly by police and other institutions.They have decided that our nation needs to interrogate the systems and prejudice that allow this to happen. They’re not afraid of a big-mouthed president and will continue to say what they believe is right in the face of overwhelming criticism.
Ethan Ready is a Trinity sophomore. His column runs on alternate Tuesdays.
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Ethan Ready is a Trinity sophomore. His column runs on alternate Tuesdays.