Arguments Against NFL Protests

President Donald Trump responds to the protests rising across the NFL over Twitter, criticising teams and their owners for kneeling during the national anthem. It has since become a hotly-debated topic, and rightly so. Racism and social injustices are important issues in the US that need to be debated. One side argues that it is protected by the right of free speech, and that the protests symbolises a facet of true democracy. The opposing side mentions that protesting during the anthem is disrespectful, entitled, and ignorant. I would argue that protesting during an anthem is disrespectful to the country, and that it is an inefficient method of protesting.

My first point is that protesting in any way during the anthem is very disrespectful to the country and consequently its founders and the veterans. The flag and anthem symbolises years, decades, centuries of struggle for independence. Protesting during the anthem implies a disregard of these efforts. Our ancestors have struggled through many obstacles

Many people that are against the rejection of these NFL protests confuse free speech with being able to express any opinion at all. However, this is inaccurate. Even though free speech does accommodate this, the right to it only means that no government action can be taken to attack or censor you. It does not protect you from potential consequences and backlash. As stated in the website of the United States Courts, freedom of speech includes the right of not to speak, or not to salute the flag, ruled in West Virginia Board v. Barnette in 1943. In other words, it asserts that these NFL players are allowed to protest during the anthem. But using free speech as an argument undermines it because essentially, you’ve just shot yourself in the foot by making another counterpoint: just because it isn’t illegal doesn’t mean it is something anyone should