Here in America, we live in the “Land of the free and the home of the brave.” When one thinks of the ideal America, he/she thinks of freedom, the American dream, and equality for all. In our great country, we have all these freedoms and chances that make citizens of other countries want to come here. From an outsider’s point of view, we are perfect, the dream-like place to grow. In a country undoubtedly filled with strong nationalism, there are still categories where we fall short. There are innocent men of color having their lives threatened by the unjust treatment of police officers, getting pulled over because of the color of their skin, and getting discriminated against because of how they were born. We do not live in a perfect society and over the last two years, players in the NFL have brought that to light in a movement started by former quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, Colin Kaepernick. He has started a movement involving protesting racial injustice during the playing of the national anthem and has taken intense criticism along the way. Although he could have chosen a better, and less controversial place to voice his dissent, I believe any man of color, specifically NFL players, should be able to protest as he pleases and exercise his 1st Amendment Right for a cause he believes in.

As opposed to making signs, contacting relevant authorities, or speaking to the media, Kaepernick chose to spread his word by sitting, which eventually shifted to kneeling, during the National Anthem played prior to every football game. When asked for a response on why he went through with his actions, Kaepernick responded by saying “I am not going to stand to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color” (The Undefeated). Following this, the movement officially began. Other NFL players chose to participate and certain media outlets began to voice their discontent over the recent events. One year later, the movement is still going strong, but Kaepernick is unemployed with his next contract offer not in sight. Even without their leader, the protests continue, but they gained one powerful, important critic along the way: President Donald Trump. After calling the protesters “Sons of bitches” and insisting they should be “Fired,” the players and owners of the NFL fought back. Entire NFL teams, owners included, participated in the protests for this week only and certain teams didn’t choose to even take the field as the anthem was being played. This week caused massive confusion as it wasn’t to protest racial inequality, it was to protest President Trump’s comments. The following week, Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys, and Adam Gase, head coach of the Miami Dolphins, reiterated their rule that if any player kneels for the national anthem, they will be benched. Given this, Kaepernick still having yet to be signed to an NFL roster after expressing his want to play, and even saying he will stand during the anthem if signed, Kaepernick’s team decided to go ahead and sue the NFL in accusing them of “blackballing” him. So if there is a place where protest is not accepted, it is definitely in a place filled with 32 non African American owners and one white commissioner controlling the league like hand puppets.

Beyond Kaepernick, others have stepped up including most notably safety for the Philadelphia Eagles, Malcolm Jenkins, wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks, Doug Baldwin, and defensive end for the Seattle Seahawks, Michael Bennett. Jenkins has been with the movement since week three of the 2016 NFL season when he demonstrated by throwing his fist in the air when the national anthem was being played. Baldwin was more on the outside looking in until he got confronted by the media following Trump’s comments in which he responded by saying, “He acts like a child craving attention and any attention will do… For all the hate and negativity that has come from Trump’s presidency, I am still hopeful for justice and love to win out” (Wisniewski). Bennett’s opinions were backed more by personal experience. When in Las Vegas attending the Floyd Mayweather – Conor McGregor fight, he was confronted and detained by the Las Vegas Police Department. When complying with the officer’s commands not to move, the officer allegedly placed his gun near his head and warned him that if he moved, he would “Blow (his) fucking head off” (Pierce). Having first hand experienced what Kaepernick was kneeling for in the first place, Bennett is now a big voice in the protest movement.