Controversy: Stand For This Country

Stand For This Country
In 2016, there was a National Football League (NFL), football game. That football game was not normal, it was a little different than the normal football game you go to or watch and either see your favorite team win or lose. It was a football game that will most likely be remembered for a long time to come. One professional NFL player decided to sit during the national anthem instead of standing with all of his friends, teammates, and coaches on the sideline just like every other game that he has been to or played in. Colin Kaepernick was the football player who decided to sit during the national anthem, he sat on the bench on the sideline while his team stood with their hand on their heart looking at the American flag.

It was not until San Francisco Forty Niners fan tweeted a picture of Colin Kaepernick sitting out of the national anthem, it gained attention by the media.”(Sandritter). Colin Kaepernick's actions of not standing for the national anthem caused a major conflict between the NFL, other sports, media, news, and many other places with controversy still continuing on today. Colin Kaepernick told the media that he sat out of the national anthem to support colored people and police brutality in the United States.(Sandritter). For years now there has been controversy about football players kneeling during the national anthem. It is not just Colin Kaepernick sitting out of the national anthem he gained so much attention that fellow teammates followed him. He also had opponents sitting out with him and at one point whole teams were kneeling too, including some coaches and owners. At the same time some owners made their teams stand and if players did not stand they would not be playing in the game. Football players should not protest and kneel during the national anthem because fans and owners are not happy it causes reviews to drop, the players are breaking the rules and there are other more appropriate places

Many people, especially young kids look up to football players and look at them as their idols and their inspiration on what they want to be when they grow up. Kids will follow everything that those football players do so if they look up to a football player that is protesting and kneeling during the national anthem children will start to kneel or sit during the anthem even though they don't understand why they are doing it. That is an example of why kneeling during the national anthem is not the appropriate place to express their opinions and views. There are many players, ex-players, coaches, and teams that make organizations for cancer and many other illnesses, it is a good idea to start something like that to help support what people are protesting for instead of kneeling during the national anthem. The NFL foundation since 1973 has contributed nearly three hundred and seventy million dollars to charities and youth programs. (Economic). That goes to show that the NFL can and does a lot all around to help many organizations for the better and make a big impacts where it's needed. Instead of making a organization players could go to social media. NFL players have huge followings on social media so if they wanted to bring something to the public's attention they could post about the police brutality to bring awareness and start a