Player Loses Sponser for Protest

 

 

                Colin Kaepernick, a quarterback for the 49ers, has not been standing during the National Anthem as a way of protesting racial inequalities in America. Since the news broke out as to why he refuses to stand, three other athletes have joined the protest:  a fellow 49er Eric Reid, cornerback Jeremy Lane of the Seahawks, and linebacker Brandon Marshall of the Broncos. Needless to say, the protests have sparked outrage; however, the NFL issued a statement, saying that they were not going to penalize the players.

In the article, which focuses on Marshall, the Air Academy Federal Credit Union (AAFCU) has stopped sponsoring him because of their close ties to the military. As I mentioned earlier, the protest have sparked outraged, being dubbed anti-American and seen as disrespectful to the military and police. People who are against the protest argue that the military and police fights for the flag, so people should stand for the National Anthem. People who are in support of the protest argue that not standing does not mean that a person is anti-American or anti-military or anti-police, it is the players’ right to not stand, and people are forgetting the bigger issue here.

The purpose for the protest is to not stand for a country that has seen police officers killing unarmed African American people and not receiving the proper punishment. People who see the protest as being un-American have forgotten that we have the right to peacefully assemble, as stated in the first amendment, and are not meant to disrespect the police because even  Kaepernick went from sitting to kneeling as a form of submission to the military. Consider this:  Kaepernick had been sitting down during the national anthem for a while before he was asked why; after he mentioned police brutality and racial inequality, the police began to demand his removal from the NFL; and, instead of seeing this as a wake-up call to look into reforming training programs, the police became offended. Perhaps, they took such offense because there has been an increase in police brutality, and they do not want to associate with that, however, it is happening, and denouncing the protest will not bring us any closer to change.