Sunday Football and Free Speech
I never grew up watching Sunday Football- my professional sports teams include the Cubs, Bulls, and Blackhawks. However today I have been paying more attention to Sunday football than ever before. This weekend we have seen the power of free speech and when that free speech is supported. This weekend we have seen that our president supports free speech for white supremacists but thinks Black athletes should be fired for their free speech.
At a rally in Alabama on Friday Trump criticized NFL players who protest the national anthem, saying he wished NFL owners would "fire" the players and say "Get that son of a b---- off the field right now." Trump calling upon the owners of NFL teams to fire their players who took a knee during the anthem brings to mind slave dynamics. However the owners mostly stood up for their players, legitimizing their movement. On Saturday NFL teams released statements condemning Trumps statements. Then Sunday football was kicked off with the Baltimore Ravens’ and Jacksonville Jaguars’ players and coaches kneeling and locking arms in London during the singing of the national anthem. This was followed by many teams also kneeling in solidarity, linking arms, or staying in the locker rooms during the national anthem.
These mass demonstrations are related to class because it shows that our constitution and freedom of speech really only applies to a particular type of person. Last year when Kaepernick took a knee in protest of police violence against minorities he was ostracized from the NFL community. People criticized his form of protest as inappropriate. Yet they also criticized protesters against people violence of being violent. There seems to be no good way to express the first amendment, especially as a black male. This seems like a contradiction but through the lens of African American History we know that these contradictions are built into the foundation of our country. We know that the constitution was created by white men to protect white men. The First Amendment to Freedom of Speech does not apply to particular people because it was not made for those people. We have seen that clearly this weekend with the president's remarks.
Which brings us back to the current moment. Who is being listened to and who is participating in this current movement? Players, coaches, and owners have come together to support each other in response to Trump's remarks. In my opinion the most interesting kneel was taken by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, a Trump supporter who donated $1 million to the inauguration. Why now buddy?
I would love to hear what you all think.
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Rachel Farley
In my opinion, the reason that owners kneeled with players this past weekend was because they too were a target of Trump's remarks. They were told what to do with their money and they knew that each team was under a microscope to see how each were gonna respond. People like Jerry Jones and Robert Kraft could care less about the ACTUAL reason for the protests, but they knew that if their was no sign of solidarity with their players now it could hurt their wallets short term and long term.
ReplyDeleteI feel that the increased number of players and coaches participating in the protest of the national anthem was more so out of spite than for the actual reasons why people were already protesting the anthem. When you tell someone how they should react or behave ("fire everyone who protest"), they often do the opposite of what it is you suggest (kneel with fellow teammates or players). I'm not arguing that this is the sole reason for the increased participation, but I think that defiance played a large role in it. Overall it is sad that we live in a country where people quickly forget the allegations of domestic violence and child abuse that is often brought to light in regards to the NFL. However, people just cannot seem to get over protesting the national anthem.
ReplyDeleteAlexis Heard
One comment I heard after the mass protest of the NFL players perfectly summed up why there is so much opposition to the players and coaches who took a knee during the national anthem. The rapper Plies stated that "Racism is so American that when we protest racism the average American assumes we're protesting America." However, the fact of the matter is both are being protested.
ReplyDeleteBy protesting racism, one is protesting America and its ideals as well, because as a nation, the U.S. was constructed to acknowledge the rights of only certain types of people, and anything that deviates from this would be considered "UnAmerican." Not standing to look at the stars and stripes with one's hand over heart with the intention of protesting racism is a concrete example of this.
Claiming kneeling during the anthem is inappropriate makes me wonder what other forms of protest would be considered appropriate. The video link below is fascinating to me as it talks about the conversation between U.S. veteran Green Beret and Collin Kapernick. At first Beret was offended by Kapernick's decision to sit during the anthem, but after talking to Kapernick he understood where he was coming from and suggested he kneel instead. Kneeling is a form of respect and solitude in the military. Kapernick's decision to kneel show's he does not intend to disrespect anyone, but rather protest injustices taking place. This story behind Kapernick's decision to kneel displays that few people are actually listening to the deeper issues of the protest and jumping to conclusions.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.facebook.com/devon.grousis/videos/1446219685492135/
It's interesting how many of the people who decry the kneeling protests in the NFL are the same people who will fervently defend those who fly the Confederate flag. In my mind, this is the height of hypocrisy given that a big talking point for the anti-kneeling crowd is that this act of protest is "disrespectful to the troops". While this statement is based on a fundamentally flawed understanding of what the protest is all about, it does raise certain questions concerning the intellectual consistency of this argument. For example, what could be more disrespectful to the troops than flying the battle flag of secessionist traitors who actually raised arms against and killed American soldiers during the Civil War?
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