Diversity Corner
| Publication year | 2017 |
| Pages | 66 |
| Citation | Vol. 86 No. 10 Pg. 66 |
November 2017
Taking a Knee: The NFL Culture War
Katherine Lee Goyette
Football season entered the political arena last year when San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick kneeled during the national anthem in protest of racial inequality and police brutality, following a number of deaths of African Americans by police action. The protests continued throughout the 2016 season and recently became nationwide news as over 200 NFL players sat or kneeled during games in late September 2017 in response to President Donald Trump's call for owners to fire or suspend players "disrespecting our Flag & Country" through a tweet.[1]
Kaepernick, along with his 49ers teammate Eric Reid, reported in a New York Times op-ed that they made the decision to kneel during the anthem after "careful consideration, and even a visit from Nate Boyer, a retired Green Beret and former NFL player...we should kneel, rather than sit...during the anthem as a peaceful protest. we chose to kneel because it's a respectful gesture. I remember thinking our posture was like a flag flown at half-mast to mark a tragedy."[2]Since the late September influx of news coverage about the NFL kneeling controversy, Americans have been divided on the meaning behind kneeling, whether as a form of peaceful protest of racial injustice or as sheer disrespect to the U.S. flag and members of the military and law enforcement who have died in the line of duty.
League fans on both sides of the fence likely won't see a resolution soon. During Week 3, 27 players from the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Baltimore Ravens took a knee at Wembley Stadium in London. Week 4 had the Ravens taking a knee before the anthem was played, but all players stood during the anthem at their game against the Steelers. In the Texans' game against the Titans, Texans players linked arms as the anthem was played, but remained standing. Vice President Mike Pence left the 49ers-Colts game in Indianapolis in Week 5, after members of the 49ers took a knee. Following Week 5, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell issued a memo to the NFL's 32 teams stating that he had "met with leadership of the [National Football League Players Association] and more players to advance the dialogue. Like many of our fans, we believe that everyone should stand for the National Anthem."[3] The following day, the NFL and players' union issued a joint statement that "there has been no change in the current policy regarding the anthem. The agenda will be a continuation of how to make progress on the important social issues that players have vocalized. Everyone who is a part of our NFL community has a tremendous respect for our country, our flag, our anthem, and our military, and we are coming to deal with the issues in a civil and constructive way."[4]
Despite the...
To continue reading
Request your trial