49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick inspired a storm of outrage this week when he refused to stand for a pre-game playing of the national anthem. The media and public anger was reminiscent of a few weeks ago, when Gabby Douglas didn’t put her hand over her heart for the pledge. While Douglas publicly stated that she was simply standing at attention and has apologized, Kaepernick has explained that his actions were an intentional protest against the oppression of people of color in America.
Predictably, Kaepernick has been accused of disrespecting cops, spitting in the face of the military and general lack of patriotism. While some anger is perhaps understandable, since many people are not used to seeing open rejection of the national pride we have been taught for our entire lives, its intensity and distribution seems odd.
As many other people have pointed out already, yes, our anger is disproportionately directed at black athletes like Douglas and Kaepernick. When thinking about “unpatriotic” protests by athletes, all the people who come to mind are black. We don't fly into the same rage over “unpatriotic” non-protests by white athletes, like Michael Phelps’ laughter during the national anthem. Or Ryan Crouser and Joe Kovacs not putting their hands over their chests during the national anthem.
And it’s not limited to a perceived lack of patriotism. Whenever black athletes show any support for protest movements, they’re told they have no place getting political — because they get paid a lot and therefore know nothing about the struggles of real Americans, or because they’re dumb jocks who can’t possibly understand sociopolitical problems like racism. Whether it’s the St. Louis Rams and the Minnesota Lynx coming out for Black Lives Matter or Tommie Smith and John Carlos raising the black power salute on the Olympic podium, there is always backlash.
No matter how you feel about the cause behind Black Lives Matter, you should realize that under the First Amendment, they have the right to peacefully assemble and protest. That right to protest — which Kaepernick’s teammates have supported in their statements — also applies to athletes, whether or not you want politics in your football games. Of course, it also applies to your right to complain about the politics in your football games, but it’s important to think about it before you do.
Think about this: If you had a national platform and the power to say something you thought was important to millions of people, wouldn’t you want to say your piece on that platform rather than keeping it to yourself? It’s not a thoughtless act — athletes risk suspensions, fines and loss of sponsorships. I find it hard to believe that they are not weighing the consequences of protesting heavily before they do it. To them, the risks of their speech are outweighed by the significance of what they have to say. And with that in mind, it’s hard to blame them for trying to use their position to make a difference.
There is significant precedent for protests like Kaepernick’s. From Jackie Robinson, who used his skill to break new ground in racial integration, to Smith and Carlos, who used the worldwide coverage of the Olympic games to show respect for the struggles with poverty, violence and social discrimination faced by black people; to players who have supported Black Lives Matter, American athletes have been using the national and international stages their talents provide them push for social change.
When Robinson was pulled into major league baseball, it made audiences and players furious. We now see him as a hero of integration — we see the crowds and the members of the league that tried to reject him as opponents of progress. Athletes today face the ire of the crowd when they speak out on the issues BLM raises. Other players and coaches condemn their actions. Maybe some day we’ll also see those people as opponents of progress. It wasn’t so long ago, after all, that Robinson stepped onto the field for the first time.
America has plenty of rites of patriotism — like standing with your hand over your heart during the national anthem and pledging allegiance to the flag every morning in class — that many of us feel are required. There are gestures you must make or you will be accused of disrespect for the troops and disdain for America. Unless you stand for the anthem, you hate the people who have fought for you. You do not really love your country if your hands are by your sides.
Most of us grew up having the pledge of allegiance recited over the morning announcements. We grew up with the idea of American exceptionalism, with a sense that we are the greatest nation in the world. We grew up hearing how lucky we are that we are a nation where anyone can succeed, regardless of race, gender or religion. And it hurts to have that pride that has been drilled into us challenged.
Don’t get me wrong — America is a great nation. We have rights other nations do not have. There are a lot of amazing things about America — but we are not perfect. We can all acknowledge that we have horrible things in our past, but we are leery of acknowledging that there could be horrible things in our present too.
It’s okay to admit that. Not standing for the national anthem because you cannot stand for something that is going on in our nation does not disrespect the service members who gave their lives — they died for Colin Kaepernick’s right to express his feelings about police brutality. It can be argued exercising the rights we have honors the sacrifices they have made to keep us free. We have the right to not participate in compulsory patriotism. As many protesters could probably tell you, it is possible to love your country and not be proud of its actions at the same time.
It’s better to try to shape this country into the better place we know it can be than to blindly pretend it’s already flawless. This is how American revolutionaries have been moving our country forward since it was born.
Let’s not stop now.