Caitlin Moran
Staff Writer
On Sept. 1, 2016, Colin Kaepernick, former quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, ignited a firestorm of heated debate when he chose to kneel during the national anthem in protest against police brutality that targeted African-Americans. Now, that same debate has resurfaced, several NFL players and team owners kneeling together during the National Anthem with arms interlocked, much to the chagrin of some politicians and media outlets.
President Trump made several comments condemning the protesters this past week. He called for any player who kneeled to be fired, also claiming that NFL owners are now afraid of their players, inviting even more controversy to an already emotionally and politically charged discussion.
President Trump tweeted, “The issue of kneeling has nothing to do with race. It is about respect for our country, flag, and national anthem. NFL must respect this!”
“I think President Trump is analyzing the wrong thing—what they’re doing instead of why they’re doing it. In reality, they’re taking a knee to make a stance against police brutality, not disrespecting the flag or military,” said Ciara Mardirosian, a member of Dominican Women’s Softball team.
Many critics of the protests claim that athletes have little authority on the subject of politics or social justice issues due to their lack of experience in those areas. However, the far-reaching public platform of professional athletes places them in an advantageous position to amplify their opinions on relevant issues.
“Athletics and politics have been intertwined as long as sports have existed. Athletes are representative of the people. People admire them, so they have a say in what’s going on,” Mardirosian said.
The widespread contention surrounding the reason for the protests also generates more public discussion, given that dialogue concerning police brutality has filled headlines for much longer than the duration of the National Anthem protests. “Their job is to be an athlete, but politics are an everybody thing. Everybody gets a vote,” Juliana Neiza, a freshman player on the Women’s Tennis team, said.
Conversations such as these on politics and social justice issues are not only a relevant topic of discourse on a national level, but on local level as well. The combination of free speech and protest in the athletic sphere affects everyone from professional athletes down to college students.
On Sep. 29, Oak Park and River Forest High School football players knelt alongside several band members as the national anthem played before their game against Downers Grove North.
The act caused a raucous among the spectators, with one individual screaming out, “That’s an embarrassment! That’s an embarrassment to the people who fought for the flag!”
The Dominican Star reached to some individual coaches regarding the issue. We were given a statment on behalf of the Athletics Department instead. The statement read, “As an institution of higher learning, Dominican University is committed to preparing students to pursue truth and participate in the creation of a more just and humane society. We understand that there are differing viewpoints nationwide and acknowledge that each individual is entitled to his or her own opinion, shaped by his or her own experiences. We respect our student-athletes’ right to exercise their civil liberties, including during the playing of our national anthem.”
For college and professional athletes, freedom to employ civil liberties is as important on the field as it is off of it. Athletes are supported by the First Amendment in their right to protest, especially since the form of protest is the silent act of kneeling: a peaceful, non-disruptive display of solidarity for a marginalized group of Americans. As Neiza said, “They’re just standing up for what they believe in, and that’s a key part of being American. We have different opinions, but we have a right to stand for those opinions.”
cmoran@my.dom.edu