Last year, Colin Kaepernick, quarterback for the 49ers during the 2016-2017 season, started a controversial protest by taking the knee during the National Anthem during the opening of each football game he was present. Kaepernick’s protest was demonstrated as a result for the mistreatment of blacks and for the police brutality that h believed to have occurred in the United States. This demonstration has caused mixed emotions for many people around the country.
James Artis, a senior at Riverbend, responded to some of the people’s reactions to the protest saying, “NFL players are made up of different races and it’s their right to protest however they please.” With the growing concern that taking the knee would cause problems outside of sports Artis replied, “NFL players would get hate for taking a knee during the anthem. This issue has grown more than just a little protest. Before it was only Colin Kaepernick and now it’s the whole NFL.”
Corey Mitchell, a sophomore at Riverbend, replied to the issue emphasizing, “Taking the knee now is to protest about Trump’s remarks; it lost the meaning of what it once was emphasizing as. It’s an issue now because people follow their favorite celebrities and would possibly do the same.” President Donald Trump stated that he wanted NFL players taking the knee to be fired from the NFL. There was a backlash afterwards causing many NFL players and coaches to take the knee. President Trump’s response gave in to NFL to rethink and change rules regarding the national anthem and to put in place that players must stand or would be fined, suspended or fired if not followed.
With the future of the NFL and the ratings at stake, this football season will be one to surely go down in history. Not only has it affected NFL players, but it has also made its way into other sports such as baseball. One thing is for sure though; the issues of this are being addressed and will not be be taken lightly.
Taking the knee has become a bigger issue than before that and now, even the Commissioner of the NFL, Roger Goodell, responded to the president’s controversial statement regarding taking the knee stating, “The NFL and our players are at our best when we help create a sense of unity in our country and our culture. There is no better example than the amazing response from our clubs and players to the terrible natural disasters we’ve experienced over the last month. Divisive comments like these demonstrate an unfortunate lack of respect for the NFL, our great game and all of our players, and a failure to understand the overwhelming force for good our clubs and players represent in our communities.” Trump responded back by tweeting on September 23, 2017, “Roger Goodell of NFL just put out a statement trying to justify the total disrespect certain players show to our country. Tell them to stand!”
Whether the protest is still for the mistreatment over blacks or for a response to President Trump’s statement, the issue is being addressed and will not be taken lightly. It’s expected that rule changes will be enforced this season to help alleviate some of the tension the NFL is dealing with currently. The attention the media has given this controversy has caused a backlash for both the players of the NFL and the Trump administration. This controversy has affected both TV ratings for networks and fans of the NFL. Only time will tell what will become of all of this chaos that has flooded the news and social media platform.