The National Anthem Battle On the Field

Fall is here! Pumpkin picking, apple cider and football! Football is the most popular sport in America. The best of the best compete every week, battling to make the Vince Lombardi trophy theirs. These players have the most exciting jobs because they get to do what they love for a living.

Last season Colin Kaepernick, former quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, chose to kneel during the National Anthem. And so began a trend that continues this year as other players, teams, coaches and even owners began to do this as well. Vice President Mike Pence attended the Indianapolis Colts versus San Francisco 49ers game and left when he saw players kneeling during the National Anthem.

The reason for his controversial action to take a stand with the Black Lives Matter movement and fight for equality. But is a football game the right venue for political rhetoric?

These players and coaches are supposed to be role models to everyone watching, especially children. Young kids on local teams have begun to kneel because if the pros are doing it, it must be right. Instead of using their platform to take action that helps the black community, the message some say they send is one of disrespect.

Our flag represents everything this country is about; white signifies purity, red signifies bravery and blue signifies justice. It’s a symbol of the men and women who fight for our country every day. They are the heroes who keep our country safe. Without them, there would be no land of the free and home of the brave. There would be no football.

The least they can do is honor the flag of the greatest nation in the world that allows them to play this game and make a nice salary doing it. It is un-American to ignore the role of the flag and the patriotism it inspires.

Many people look to sports as a way to escape reality and just have fun with friends and family, but politics have no place there. Fans have reacted to this by burning the jerseys of players who took part in this and booing players.