NFL Quarterback Colin Kaepernick Refuses to Stand During National Anthem, Inspires a Movement
San Francisco 49er quarterback Colin Kaepernick refused to stand during the singing of the National Anthem on this day and remained seated on the bench to protest racial injustice in the U.S. . His action occurred during a pre-season exhibition game.
His action inspired other National Football League (NFL) players to also “take a knee” during the National Anthem during the 2016 and the 2017 regular seasons. Before the next game on September 1st, Kaepernick went down on one knee in protest.
Kaepernick’s action also inspired similar or related protests by players in other sports around the country, including the U.S. women’s soccer team.
Critics accused Kaepernick and other athletes who followed his example of disrespecting the U.S. flag and inappropriately injecting politics into organized sports. President Donald Trump on September 24, 2017 criticized Kaepernick and said that any athlete who disrespected the American flag. Few people supported the firing idea. Most people argued that athletes had a right to protest in support of their political views.
Kaepernick’s contract with the 49ers expired at the end of the 2016 season and by the start of the 2019 season, no team had even offered him a tryout, despite the fact that, as happens in every season, several teams had serious quarterback problems, and at least were in need of an experienced back-up quarterback. The non-signing of Kaepernick created suspicions that he had been blacklisted by NFL team owners. In late 2017, Kaepernick sued the NFL owners for blacklisting him.
In September 2016, U.S. women’s soccer star Megan Rapinoe, in sympathy with Kaepernick, remained seated instead of standing for the national anthem before a match between the Seattle Reign and the Chicago Red Stars. And in 2019 as the Women’s World Cup was about to begin, President Trump criticized Rapinoe for her on-field political protests, and Rapinoe replied with a stern rebuke to the president.
On May 23, 2018, the NFL team owners adopted a new policy requiring all NFL players to stand for the playing of the national anthem. If they did not want to stand, they could stay in the locker room while the anthem is being played. (Two team owners reportedly abstained from the vote.) Individual players and their teams could be disciplined for violating the policy.
Athletes in other sports followed the lead of the NFL players and conducted similar protests. This included members of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer team, several college football players, high school football players (all in 2016); major league baseball players, women’s professional basketball players, and NHL hockey players (all in 2017). Several major corporations, included Nike, Under Armour, and Ford, issued statements of support from the NFL players who protested.
Visit Colin Kaepernick’s web site here.
Visit Megan Rapinoe’s web site here.