Written by Sarah Edwards, Chandler Enfinger and Daniel Goforth. Not shown: Landry Copeland.
To kneel or not to kneel? A lot of NFL football player feel the need to kneel during the National Anthem to protest racial inequality. Because of the growing trend of NFL stars kneeling during the National Anthem, many believe it is a political protest against the American flag instead of a protest against oppression. I believe that the NFL stars should not kneel because it is disrespecting our nation.
First of all, kneeling during the National Anthem is an ineffective way to protest. Disrespecting our flag, or our nation as a whole for that matter, is not a very efficient way to get the results the athletes want. Refusing to stand for the National Anthem not only shows disrespect to our country, but also the men and women who have fallen in the line of duty to provide our country freedom. The least people can do is stand to show appreciation.
Furthermore, NFL athletes are role models to the youth of America and people of all ages. When professional athletes kneel, that could spark the people that look up to them to start doing it at their games. It shows them an incorrect way to salute and respect our country. Kneeling could turn the younger generation in the wrong direction and possibly cause problems in the future. Studies show, abcnews, that 9 out of 10 kids look up to and idolize famous athletes.
On the other hand, kneeling during the National Anthem maybe an effective form of protest because its obviously grabbing people's attention when they take a knee. Moreover, its not against the rules for NFL players to do it. In fact, according to an NFL spokesperson from Sports Illustrated the game operations manual states, "The National Anthem must be played prior to every NFL game, and all players must be on the field and bench area, should stand at attention, face the flag, hold helmets in their left hand, and refrain from talking..." It clearly stated in this excerpt that it is in fact not against the rules therefore it shouldn't be punished. Also, people shouldn't make a big deal out of this because some veterans support kneeling during the anthem. For example, in an article from USA TODAY.com Josh Hafner writes in USA Today, "Take John Middlemas, the 97-year-old World War II veteran from Missouri who knelt Sunday in solidary with players." Although some believe that it is okay to kneel the players are strongly encouraged to stand with their hand over their heart and while some veterans support the action of kneeling, there are still others that do not support kneeling.
In conclusion, kneeling during the National Anthem is problematic, but there could be more effective ways to get the results the athletes wanted. Kneeling is very efficient and counterproductive way to protest racial injustices. It also shows disrespect to our nation. Although it is a non-violent and peaceful way to protest, the players could start a march as Martin Luther King did to protest and possibly get better results.
