Racism In Sports Pros And Cons

There are athletes refusing to stand during the National Anthem and Pledge of Allegiance as a way of protesting racism in the United States. Many Americans are taking extreme offense to this and are reacting in ways that make the problem worse. Not standing during these acts of appreciation for the United States will most likely not solve the problem. Although racism is present in sports, it is not bad enough to give players the excuse to disrespect the flag. Not standing during the National Anthem and Pledge of Allegiance is not helpful to resolving racism, and there are many better ways to do so. It is important to first address that all people in the United States are rather fortunate to be here. Racism is obviously apparent in the States,

America and its history is not the sole reason racism. Those who fought in the Civil War fought for freedom or no freedom of African Americans. If the South would have won, then chances are there would be no black people in any sports. The athletes are lucky to be in the sports they are in now, therefore they should be thankful to their country for giving them the opportunity. The NFL would not even exist without America. One athlete who refused to stand during the Anthem and Pledge is Colin Kaepernick. He “has sat and knelt during the anthem, has said he refused to honor a song or ‘show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.’ He also referenced the shootings of black men by police as one of reasons for his stance. ‘To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way,’ he told NFL Media” (McLaughlin). However, the racism is not bad enough to completely disrespect the flag. Racism is reportedly worse in countries like Russia, Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom reportedly deal with more racism than the United States (Top 12). If the athletes do not appreciate the country they live in, then they can go live in one of those countries