In protest against a country that he believes is oppressing African Americans and minorities, 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has recently taken a stand by not standing at all.
Instead of rising for the national anthem with the rest of his team, Kaepernick has chosen to take a knee while the anthem plays before games in an effort to bring attention to the discrimination that African Americans and other racial minority groups suffer. The American flag stands for freedom and equality, but Kaepernick does not believe that these values are being carried out equally for all Americans.
“I think it’s completely up to him [to kneel or stand],” says AP U.S. History teacher Heather Sadlon. “I look at what our country stands for and the symbols of our country: our flag and our national anthem. I think it’s right that we don’t have what I would consider to be autocratic rules for how to respond to those images or those symbols of our country. I really strongly believe he has a free speech right to respond how he wants.”
Kaepernick is not the only public figure who has used sports to display his beliefs. Due to their popularity, professional sports often present an ideal platform for public figures such as celebrities, athletes and politicians to display their views and ideas on a national, and even worldwide scale.
When one puts on such a public display of their convictions, it can often cause quite an impact — especially with youth and athletes.
Sophomore Brooke Hanshaw explains, “I think football, basketball and baseball players of all ages would be most influenced by political statements because those three sports are easily [some] of the most popular all throughout the United States. Lots of people look up to famous players in those sports such as Stephen Curry, Colin Kaepernick and Buster Posey. Colin Kaepernick has already influenced our own high school football players.”
Throughout the season, several of Aragon’s football players and cheerleaders have knelt during the playing of the national anthem before kickoff.
Junior cheerleader Eliana Grant provides her reasons for making the choice to kneel: “You’re taught in schools that every day you say the pledge of allegiance and you sing the national anthem … it’s almost robotic, you automatically stand for the national anthem. [But if] you take the time and realize what it’s saying, it’s not really for [people of color] like me … so I don’t think that I should be standing and taking a moment of silence for something that isn’t for me.”
Alternatively, senior offensive lineman Enzo Fuenzalida chose not to kneel. “I agree with what they are protesting,” says Fuenzalida, “but I decided not to kneel because one of my close cousins [served] multiple tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan … I use the national anthem as a way to thank and honor what he sacrificed for our nation’s freedom.”
In addition to Kaepernick, presidential candidate Bernie Sanders used the platform of professional sports for his own personal benefit. Sanders attended Game 7 of the NBA Western Conference Finals between the Warriors and Oklahoma City Thunder, likely in an effort to gain more voters, especially in California and Oklahoma.
“We live in a democracy, and democracy means reaching people,” says Sadlon. “For many people in America, reaching them via debate or town hall meeting is not going to work. So why not go to where the people are? Why not go to sporting events? And then it’s up to Americans to be savvy enough to understand [the politician’s true intentions].”
Athletic director and football coach Steve Sell agrees. “It’s up to the people who are receiving the message to see through and recognize that motive,” he says. “But if the end result is that there’s some progress in racial relations … then that’s okay with me.”
Political statements like Kaepernick’s start conversations throughout the nation and sports provide this platform to express opinions on a global scale. Whether one agrees or disagrees with the method of expression, the common thread in reactions to Kaepernick’s staement is that a change needs to be made.
