President Trump has been attacking NFL players who have protested against oppression of people of color by kneeling during the National Anthem. In doing this, he has been suppressing the natural rights of the NFL and its players. The Declaration of Independence states, “... they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” (Jefferson 1). Natural Rights are given to everyone at birth and cannot be taken away. Henceforth, the president has been restraining the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness from the NFL. President Trump has been restricting the privilege of life from the NFL players. In the article written by Clarke, Robert Kraft, a Trump supporter and million dollar donor to his presidency, stated, “There is no greater unifier in this country than sports and, unfortunately, nothing more divisive than politics” (3). In the same fashion, he added to his statement, “I think our political leaders could learn a lot from the lessons of teamwork and the importance of working together toward a common goal” (3). To put it another way, he has been creating division among sports fans. …show more content…
In an article by Benjamin Hoffman, he wrote, “Mr. Trump weighed in on Twitter, saying he approved of players locking arms, but declaring that kneeling during the anthem was ‘not acceptable’” (1). In addition, when Julius Thomas is interviewed, he states, “To have the president trying to intimidate people — I wanted to send a message that I don’t condone that. I’m not O.K. with somebody trying to prevent someone from standing up for what they think is important” (4). As can be seen, Trump is doing no better than the players who refuse to stand by refusing to let them kneel. The football players have the option to stand and honor the flag or not as long as they are respectful of the other people who do
In a demonstration of solidarity, more than one hundred and thirty NFL players have chosen to sit, kneel, or raise a fist during the national anthem. This is a movement that began last season when 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick chose to take a knee to protest police brutality against people of color. Although Kaepernick didn’t have much support from fellow players at the time, a recent turn of events has changed things. President Donald Trump’s recent commentary calling out those who chose to protest created contempt for him in the NFL community. In Megan Garber’s 2017 article entitled “They Took a Knee,” she examines exactly what Trump said and considers the impact of his words. It is indisputable that both the NFL players and our President
It’s almost as if nothing has changed in almost a hundred years’ time It is 2018 and instead of peace and unity between different races in America rising, instead police brutality has risen and also been a problem in America. Through Kapernick using his peaceful platform whilst trying to bring light to the victims through his great efforts of leadership, our president Donald Trump that we would have thought would have at least taken heed from the situation instead went and posted on twitter that he was very disgusted by the NFL for not fining the players for kneeling during the national anthem. To no avail, to make matters worse and very surprisingly the NFL made it a rule month after the President stated his opinion. One of the many unfortunate events following this sad episode was the Philadelphia Eagles not being accepted into the White House for their past accomplishment in winning the Super Bowl. As most historians and Americans know, it’s indeed a tradition to visit the White House after winning a league championship in any American Sport. This is what drives an athlete to play at the best of their ability. So now there is a gap between the government and the sport that most American’s love i.e., watching 22
Roger Goodell,the NFL commissioner, was immediately interviewed after saying, "Well my personal thoughts are... I support our players when they want to see change in society, and we don't live in a perfect society. We live in an imperfect society. On the other hand, we believe very strongly in patriotism in the NFL. I personally believe very strongly in that. I think it's important to have respect for our country, for our flag, for the people who make our country better; for law enforcement, and for our military who are out fighting for our freedoms and our ideals."These are all important things for us, and that moment is a very important moment. So, I don't necessarily agree with what he is doing. We encourage our players to be respectful in that time and I like to think of it as a moment where we can unite as a country. And that's what we need more, and that's what I think football does - it unites our country. So I would like to see us focusing on our similarities and trying to bring people together.” after all this Kaepernick protests, players the Denver Broncos middle linebacker, and other players around the league, protested with
Sports, particularly football, has became a political debate in September. The author of the article, CNN Sophie Tatum, called “Athletes, activists spar on kneeling National Anthem protests”. She explained that President Donald Trump began to criticize players on his twitter account who would kneel during the national anthem to protest against police brutality. Sophie Tatum writes that Trump and his aides are arguing that the protests are unpatriotic and disrespectful to the flag. Trump also adds that it is disrespectful to the people who fought to protect our country. Although players argue that they are just exercising free speech. In the beginning of the article Sophie Tatum adds an interview, Spike Lee, who is speaking out for the players who take a knee. He defends the players that they are simply protesting against law enforcement and want to be heard on the issues at hand. Reading the title of the article before I read the rest and
Many players and their coaches have been protesting police brutality by ‘taking-a-knee’ during the Pledge of Allegiance. The media has been sharing and it has now become a bigger deal since the president has addressed it by saying "Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, 'Get that son of a b---h off the field right now. Out. He's fired. He's fired!" This riled up many Trump supports, secially when later on he tweeted that it had nothing to do with race and that it was about respecting the country. This leads many people to believe that the NFL players are just disrespecting their country. The stereotype about African Americans, that they are often disrespectful, is also being used to ‘justify’ what a lot of the media has to say. But, the real reason many NFL players are protesting is because they think that they shouldn't have to stand if they don't have pride for their country, and they have the right to do so, according to their first amendment. They don't lose the right to protest when they go on the field like some of the media thinks so. Many people, often white believe they live in a just- world because they have never had to deal with the racism many African Americans are dealing with so they do not think it is a big deal and that they are protesting to be disrespectful. The illusory correlation can also
Trump and the NFL both feel that their views are valid, however, his comments and tweets have only caused more players to take a stand and protest. The players do not see things in the same way as the President. While he considers them to be disrespectful to their country, the players feel that they are exercising their freedoms. When they take a knee, or link arms, they are taking advantage of the freedoms that those in the military have found so hard to give them.
The controversy involving the NFL teams, their players kneeling, turning around, locking arms etc has caused many to debate on this topic. The national anthem is performed out of pride of the country and to pay our respects to the people that have fought, risked and sometimes lost their lives for the United States. Players not just from the National Football League but sports across the country have been protesting this because of racial injustice which has caused backlash from many people including President Trump. Keeping in mind that it is the player's right to express their first amendment by kneeling during the national anthem I and many other people believe this is wrong because they are doing it for all the wrong reasons, yes there is
NFL players, teams and owners across the league responded Sunday to President Trump's criticism of players kneeling in protest during the national anthem, with some kneeling, others locking arms and still others choosing not to participate in the national anthem ceremony at all.
July 4, 1776 was the day America became its own country. 231,000 Americans fought for America’s independence in the American Revolution. The National Anthem was written in 1814, after the soldiers kept the flag standing during the bombs being dropped in the War of 1812. Every war or battle in American history has been for America’s freedom. Many people think that wearing hats during the National Anthem is rude and disrespectful to the soldiers who have fought or died for America’s freedom, but what about kneeling? Kneeling during the National Anthem is rude and disrespectful to the soldiers that have fought for America. The NFL players began kneeling last year during the National Anthem as a protest to police brutality against different races. President Trump spoke out against the kneeling and was accused of suppressing the NFL players natural right. President Trump is not suppressing the NFL players rights because no one has been fired and he has just as much a freedom of speech as any other man in the United States.
In the past weekend in the NFL, players, coaches and team owners alike took a knee during the national anthem to protest racial injustice in the United States. The first person to bring this topic in to the limelight was 49ers quarterback, Colin Kaepernick. There were waves of exalt and hate storming towards Kaepernick but what did it mean for the NFL almost a year after that incident it seems as if the whole league has caught on. Yet this peaceful protest has been under scrutiny especially by President Trump who exclaimed that athletes taking a knee should be fired. There are also, certain folks who believe that the flag is sacred and should be respected as such and anything others id disrespectful towards the country and the people who die
Right now in the NFL the football teams are kneeling for the National Anthem. This all started with Colin Kaepernick protesting the police and the inequality that people of color in the United States in August of 2016. The players are protesting the injustices people of color still face in America today. The message that the players are trying to send has been misunderstood. Some have said that the players are attempting to disrespect the country, national anthem, flag, and military by taking a knee this is incorrect. Part of this confusion came from initial misunderstanding, then it grew even greater when Trump spoke at his rally in Alabama. The players are protesting systematic oppression against people of color, police brutality, and the
He stated that players who kneel for the National Anthem should immediately fired. This sparked an uproar from most of the players in the NFL as well as owners of teams. Two days after the statement, NFL teams took the field as they do any other Sunday during the year. This week was different though. A group of players from every took a knee during the National Anthem. Over 200 players throughout the NFL decided to rally with each other and protest the President's’ remarks.
Last August in 2016, little did we know something happened that was the start of a huge controversy leading to problems right now. Before the start of a NFL 49ers football game, someone was singing the famous national anthem and a player by the name of Colin Kaepernick chose to sit down instead of stand. Continuing to sit down or kneel has led to many arguments and discussions over the past year. President Trump looked into it and has chipped in his opinion. Trump has said many ‘insulting’ words making most other football players want to stand behind Kaepernick. Many see the idea of kneeling during the national anthem as a sign of disrespect to our nation’s flag, troops, people, and ideas, while many others see the protest as freedom of speech.
Other players have joined Kaepernick which has recently caught the attention of President Donald Trump. Trump recited a speech responding to the NFL, telling NFL coaches they should fire any player who disrespects the American flag by kneeling. Unfortunately, Trump’s remarks have only worsened the situation. More players have been seen kneeling since Trump’s speech. In addition, many NFL coaches have shamed Trump’s remarks.
Recently there have been lots of protests during the National Anthem and pledge of allegiance. People from all walks of life are joining in to protest the unjust treatment of various groups of Americans. In recent news football players for the National Football League have been kneeling, locking arms, or staying in the locker room during the National Anthem. In an article in the Chicago Tribune titled “More than 200 NFL players sit or kneel during national anthem” by Arnie Stapleton Talks about how the players are protesting and why they are protesting. The author has a slant toward the players and their protesting. He talks about how Donald Trump “attacks” the players and he shows only evidence of people angered with Trump and nothing from his supporters.