The Star Spangled Banner: A Theoretical Analysis

Over the course of the past few weeks, multiple NFL players and teams have been kneeling, sitting, or raising their fists during “The Star Spangled Banner”. The players that have been participating in this state that it’s a movement to protest the racial injustice in America. In response to this movement, many people have stated that it is disrespectful towards the American Flag and the troops that are currently fighting and have fought in the past. Also, Donald Trump has stated that it is important for players to stand during the anthem, even going as far to say that those who do not stand should be fired. However, teams, like the Saints, have decided to kneel prior to national anthem and stand during the anthem. Or teams, like the Indianapolis Colts, have released statements claiming that when they are kneeling, they have no intention of disrespecting the military, they only want to “speak for those who cannot speak for themselves.” The teams and players that are kneeling and what they are protesting is an example of conflict theory. The players claim that there is racial injustice in America and this is an example of social inequality, which the conflict theory puts emphasis on. The players have pulled from the events that have taken place in the United States

I do not think that they are being disrespectful towards the military or the flag because that is not what they are protesting against. They are simply trying to bring awareness to an issue that has been affecting the United States for awhile now. Instead of trying to understand their position, some people are retaliating and even going as far as booing at them during the anthem. I do not believe that that is productive in any way when trying to fix the issue. As a country, we need to try to understand why some people feel like there is social or racial inequality and work together to begin getting rid of this