Should Athletes Be Allowed To Stand For The National Anthem?

The controversy of people kneeling during the National Anthem has made many furious and others shocked. I believe it is ok to kneel for the national anthem, because we have the right to freedom of speech. The kneeling brings much attention, in result people begin to focus on the real issue. Others counter this protest by saying that it disrespects the flag and our members of the armed forces. They also say that it angers many people and shows division in our country.

I believe that the owners of professional sports teams should not require their players to stand for the National Anthem, but rather that NFL players should be allowed to take a knee or unite arms because this medium of protest is safer than others. These protests are bound to happen either way because of the social forum integrated into the U.S. that encourages the diffusion of these certain mindsets. Recently, there was a protest in Saint Louis regarding the acquittal of Jason Stockley who shot unarmed Anthony Lamar Smith. In the protest, objects, including bricks and broken clay pots, were thrown and resulted in the injury of police officers. Both of these protests plead the same argument, yet the way they are protested lead to totally different

"The Star-Spangled Banner" has made its way into tradition since the 1900's for the National sports to play before a game begins honoring our country and the people who have served it. Therefore when the quarterback of the 49ers, Colin Kaepernick did not stand when the song was played people wondered why and some support him while others were against him. "I cannot stand and sing the anthem. I cannot salute the flag. I know I am a black man in a white world," wrote Jackie Robinson in his autobiography. Why would someone salute and honor the flag that represents a country that people like Kaepernick feel "hasn’t always fully embraced them" states the article "In The 'Land Of The Free' Are Free To Sit Out The National Anthem?". Multiple other

In discussion of country’s ideal, a controversial issue has been if kneeling during the national anthem is disrespectful or not. On the one hand, many argue that they are expressing their first amendment rights. On the other hand, many people believe it’s disrespecting our nation 's ideals and the people who fight for our freedom. My own view is that it is not disrespecting the country’s ideals if the country is not living up to the ideals itself. While people believe kneeling during the National Anthem is disrespecting the country 's ideals, I believe kneeling during the National Anthem is not disrespectful. The United States is not living up to its ideals of freedom, liberty, and justice for all no matter their race. Athletes are bringing awareness by a peaceful protest, which is protected under the first amendment for those who are oppressed.

Every American child is raised with the knowledge that they were born in a country that by law gives them freedom of self-expression and the right to protest. However, this right does not mean that people must agree with you and in many cases, groups wind up at odds over differing opinions. Over the past few years America has seen many examples of this, most notably football players protesting injustice by kneeling during the anthem. This form of protest has sparked much controversy and has caused more harm than good. The protesters have divided their fans and disrespected the nation.

A controversial topic currently circulating throughout the media and society, is professional athletes kneeling during the National Anthem. In my opinion, this is a completely useless, unnecessary action done just for attention.

The flag protest generates conversation and awareness about topic. "In a situation like that, people are seeing it. We can report it”(“If there’s protest, NBC…”). This shows that if NFL players are doing controversial things that news outlets will report it. This causes awareness to why they’re kneeling during the national anthem. These news outlets give NFL players a voice and a way to speak their mind. When famous people are given largely viewed outlets they are able to spread awareness. Going on the NFL players aren’t only spreading awareness but they’re also doing it

The National Anthem goes on every single time before a game begins. Each time it is being sung everyone usually stands up to show respect for America. While, news said that a few athletic players that have been sitting down, while the National Anthem goes on. This keeps happening more and more slowly because those athletics don’t believe that America lives up to that potential in the song as it once represented. As well as the incidents that happened with the police of excessive force being used against people unassertively. But not a lot of people knew about this until, social media came into play with our society.

Many NFL players have started taking a knee during the National Anthem before their games as a way of protesting. Some teams haven’t even come out onto the field during the anthem.

The Star-Spangled Banner was recognized for official use by the U.S in 1889. Since then it has been something widely respected in the U.S. Recently though people have began kneeling or refusing to stand during the Star Spangled banner. Kneeling during the national anthem should not be allowed. Some athletes have done this as a form of protest in the name of the Black Lives Matter movement. But this is a form of disrespect towards this country and its armed forces. As well as an unnecessary risk, because although others claim that this is a form of peaceful protest many have gotten death threats, and that is not peaceful at all.

Athletes must earn the right to wear the jersey and the right to playing time by bringing a strong athletic skill set, by being dedicated to the team, by performing well academically, and by showing good character and sportsmanship. No athlete should ever underestimate how hard another athlete is working to earn that same position on a team, a position no one is simply entitled to have without competing for it or competing to keep it. Wearing a high school jersey, does not entitle an athlete to playing time. Entitlement never wins championships, investment wins

George Washington once said, “If the freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.” I agree with this quote, and feel that America should never lose this right, as it gives people freedom, unlike the society in the book, Anthem. In my opinion, America is not an Anthem society because America is a land of freedom, not censorship, due to our individual rights such as the freedom of speech, which gives us freedom of thought and expression.

According to New Direction in Public Opinion, Ideology can be defined as, “shared belief systems that reflect some groups understanding of the social world and its vision of what that world should ideally look like” (Berinsky, A., 2012). Ideology relates to the issue of college athletes being paid in several ways, one side being, political elites such as the NCAA’s ideological views on the topic and one side being the college athletes of the NCAA. The NCAA is the political elite of college athletics..The NCAA holds the position that collegiate athletes are considered amateur athletes and it should be illegal to receive compensation for their actions on the field. NCAA President Mark Emmert echoed this in 2014 when he said “The overwhelming majority of student-athletes, across all sports, play college athletics as part of their educational experience and for the love of their sport — not to be paid a salary.” On the other side of the spectrum, some college athletes hold the position that NCAA athletes deserve to be compensated for their respective revenue-generating sports. Kain Colter of the Northwestern football team reflected this view. “between 50-60 hours a week are devoted to football-related activities...there's no way around the fact that football is a ‘job’...we're brought to the university to play

Our focus and education levels on this subject just do not add up to the level of controversy because people disrespect the flag on a daily basis! In 1923 on June 14, a federal code was put in place stating how and how not to handle the nation's flag, some examples being, flag advertisement, disposable flag products and just simply wearing the flag. The fact that people are content with these forms of disrespect to the flag, but not woke to the fact that these player are just peacefully protesting against their own history is ignorant and revolting. Consequently I believe that NFL players kneeling during the anthem being looked upon as such a bold move is a bandwagon fallacy as long as most of our country has little to no knowledge on what is actually disrespectful towards our flag, the president’s views and thoughts influencing the way many people think about this subject also it is a peaceful protest to stand up for what black people need now more than

Not just in any particular sport but all sports such as baseball, boxing, and basketball and it doesn't stop there. Athletes and professional teams are all effected by racism. Athletes has responded to such racism on there own and as a team by making a stand and protest. A very famous racial stand the goes back to the 60s in the 1968 Mexico City Olympics formally known as The 1968 Olympics Black Power salute. During these Olympics there was an act of protest by African American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos while receiving their medals. After the race was completed they turned to face the flag during The Star-Spangled Banner each turned around with their fist up covered with a black glove which everyone thought was a gesture of Black Power but was a silent gesture of human rights. The two and also Australian Peter Norman all wore human rights badges on their jackets. Smith, who wore a black scarf around his neck to represent black pride and Carlos wore a necklace of beads which he stated firmly "were for those individuals that were lynched, or killed and that no-one said a prayer for, that were hung and tarred. It was for those thrown off the side of the boats in the middle passage", both received their medals shoeless wearing black socks which was a representation of black poverty. Smith who later explained his motivation "If I win, I am American, not a black American. But if I did something bad, then they would say I