Kneeling in the NFL
I wanted to write a big article on the Colin Kaepernick grievance against the NFL today but really I don't want to talk about Kaepernick, I want to talk about kneeling in the NFL during the national anthem. A polarizing issue all around the world that seems no closer to a resolution than it did a year ago. What I'd really like to do is open up a dialogue on the topic here on Scorum. I think this a great place for a discussion on the topic because Scorum is filled with contributors from around the globe who follow a large variety of different sports.
So my question all of you are pretty simple:
What is your stance on kneeling during the national anthem?
Personally I am very much pro-kneeling. I think athletes have a platform on which they can make an impact on the world and for once a group of athletes, spurred forward by the actions of Kaepernick, are using that platform to try and make positive change in the world. I can't wrap my head around anyone out there being pro-police brutality or pro-inequality, two things that kneeling during the anthem is attempted to illuminate and combat. I don't think the protest has anything to do with disrespecting he national anthem and is not intended to harm the game of football.
I think one very important aspect of this whole conversation is that this is a peaceful protest. A movement following in the footsteps of great individuals like Martin Luther King or Rosa parks, who made a difference through non-violent means. It is a lofty comparison but they are at the root of this movement and their actions will be in the history books for years to come. It's important to take a stand against injustice, even if it's in an action as simple as taking a knee.
Yet, when invited to the whitehouse to talk about prison reforms not one NFL player went. I understand they don't like Trump. I don't like Trump, and I voted for him. But dam!!!, this was a shot to actually get some media heat on prison reform. People (mostly black) should not get more time for dealing pot than murder.
Kap started to kneel after he was told by a former military personnel that it was more respectful than sitting. It's commonly done in the military and most people don't care enough to look into it. It's hilarious to me. I think expecting people to stand for a song and give allegence to a flag is very cult like. You can be proud of your country and culture without giving into government propaganda
I feel like many non-military people view it as being disrespectful to the military, yet they are kneeling because that's what the military requested.
They have the right to protest but they have proven themselves to be uninformed on the issue. They chose to support Kaepernick who made a man look like a total victim when he was not and even when Kaepernick kept on showing his political illiteracy they stuck by him.
They also chose to do it on their work time which many of us don't have the freedom to do and seemes to dissapear in the offseason when it came to the issues. They just don't seem to care as much with their actions to the point where I feel they don't really care. Lastly, they made ir a race issue when its more of an incompetence issue. More white people fet killed by cops but we don't hear about it. At this point it is just a fuck you to Trump. I won't dismiss all of them but they just show they can't communicate the problem and keep on causing division.
I'm also a Cowboys fan so I heard all the negative reaction to Dak Prescott and his opinions. Dak actually said the right thing. He said the movement has been heard and that they should act instead of just kneel. They saw that as backstabbing which shows they just won't listen if you don't agree 100 percent. I'll gladly have discourse but we are past the point of just kneeling. If thats what they want they can continue to do so but they will not be seen as people who know what they're talking about by me.
Also instead of being fined for kneeling they could just donate that money to the people who are trying to fight the cops for the loves ones they've lost. Point is kneeling is the worst way to go about things and if they want to make a difference they should listen to the other side and realize maybe they can do things differently.