Protesting the National Anthem

As I'm sure you know by now, Colin Kaepernick, the San Francisco 49ers' now backup quarterback has been protesting the U.S. national anthem by refusing to stand up. I'll quote Kaepernick to explain his reasoning behind this protest, "I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."

There has been a lot of conversation about Kaepernick's protest. Shaq, Ray Lewis, Benjamin Watson of the Baltimore Ravens, and even Roger Goodell, the NFL Commissioner have spoken out against Kaepernick's decision, whereas Brandon Marshall of the Denver Broncos, Jabari Parker of the Milwaukee Bucks, and the entire Seattle Seahawks team have spoken out in support of Kaepernick. 

I don't agree with Kaepernick's protest of the national anthem. Obviously, I can't say what he is doing is illegal because of the First Amendment and that's fine, but I think the protest is disrespectful to the men and women who have fought for and continue to fight for our country's freedoms. To me this presents a paradox because it's your right to criticize our country and our government, but at the same time it's disrespectful to the very people that protect your right to dislike the country. 

I'm not saying there aren't any problems with our country, since there are problems, but I don't think ignoring our nation's flag and/or anthem is the way to protest and point out the problems with our country. Benjamin Watson summed up his thoughts of why he will continue to stand for the anthem fairly well, "I stand, because this mixed bag of evil and good is MY home. And because it's MY home my standing is a pledge to continue the fight against all injustice and preserve the greatest attributes of the country, including Colin Kaepernick's right to kneel." 

A new problem is presenting itself on Sunday, which is September 11th, when the NFL "will commemorate the 15th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States during games." The 9/11 attacks were painful for all Americans, regardless of race, religion, politics, or gender. September 11th should be remembered by all of us on Sunday even if you do see problems with our country that need to be addressed. We are all Americans at the end of the day.