Protests against racism in the National Football League

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
San Francisco 49ers players standing and kneeling before an October 2017 game

In the National Football League Anti- Racism Protests, National Football League (NFL) players have been protesting racism since the 2016 season by not standing or otherwise acting abnormally during the United States National Anthem. This is controversial as the behavior is sometimes perceived as disrespectful to the United States .

history

Before 2009, the national flag was neither hoisted nor played the national anthem before NFL games . This changed in 2009 with a contract between the NFL and the Department of Defense that included military jet overflights, recruiting advertisements and information stands to raise patriotic morale . Several million dollars flowed first from the Ministry of Defense and then from the National Guard . According to the 2017 NFL regulations, players must be present on the sidelines of the pitch during the national anthem; however, they are not required to stand.

The perception of protests began in the third week of the preseason in 2016, noted as the press that the quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers , Colin Kaepernick , who already during training his crew socks wore on which police officers could be seen as a pig, while the National anthem remained seated. In fact, he was already in the first two preseason games, where he didn't play and didn't wear a 49ers jersey. He justified this step as follows:

“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color, to me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder. "

“I don't stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black and colored people, it's more important to me than football and it would be selfish to look away from me. There are corpses in the streets, and people get paid vacation and get away with murder. "

- Colin Kaepernick

The following week Kaepernick knelt during the anthem and was supported by his teammate Eric Reid . Even Jeremy Lane from rival Seattle Seahawks the protest during the fourth week of the preseason concluded and sat during the anthem. In the season opener game between the Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers , a Broncos linebacker , Brandon Marshall , knelt down during the national anthem. In the Sunday games on the first match day, which took place on the 15th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 , protests broke out again. Arian Foster , Jelani Jenkins , Michael Thomas and Kenny Stills of the Miami Dolphins knelt and put hands on their hearts during the anthem. With the opponents of the Dolphins, the Seattle Seahawks, all players, including Lane, hooked their arms as a sign of solidarity. The Kansas City Chiefs players also got their arms hooked, with their cornerback Marcus Peters , who was at the end of the chain, held up his fist (see Black Power ). Also Martellus Bennett and Devin McCourty of the New England Patriots raised their own. In the Monday Night Football game on September 12, 2016, Reid and Kaepernick knelt down again during the strong safety of the 49ers, Antoine Bethea , and linebacker Eli Harold as well as wide receiver Kenny Britt and defensive end Robert Quinn from the opposing team Los Angeles Rams raised their fists.

On the second day of the 2016 season , other players joined the protests. The Kansas City Chiefs players, however, refrained from protesting. The number of protesters decreased by the last matchday. The Seattle Seahawks were the only team that protested together throughout the regular season.

Oakland Raiders players kneeling on September 24, 2017

In the preseason of the 2017 season , Michael Bennett of the Seattle Seahawks began not standing during the national anthem after the far-right attack in Charlottesville . In the second week of the preseason, twelve Cleveland Browns players knelt , including the first white with tight end Seth DeValve . On the third day of the regular season, the protest saw new momentum after US President Trump called for the dismissal of all protesting players. The Seahawks, Titans and Steelers players stayed in the dressing room during the anthem and many other players, coaches and, for the first time, franchise owners kneeled or crossed their arms.

In May 2018, the clubs decided that kneeling during the national anthem would no longer be allowed and will be punished with fines in future. However, players are free to stay in the cloakroom during the national anthem. The players union NFL Players Association announced steps against it, among other things because they see in the decision a violation of previous promises.

Reactions

The protests generated a lot of media coverage. Opinions about the protests differ. Some see sitting and kneeling during the national anthem as disrespectful to the United States and the values ​​it stands for, others point out the right to freedom of expression and demand that it be up to everyone to decide when and how to do it Right uses. Donald Trump advised Kaepernick, who had previously criticized him as "openly racist", to emigrate from the United States after the protests began, while Barack Obama supported Kaepernick. The Santa Clara Police Union saw the protests as antagonism to the police and threatened to stop serving at the 49ers' stadium. After Doug Baldwin announced on Twitter in the days leading up to September 11, 2016 that the Seahawks wanted to honor the country and the flag with a demonstration of solidarity, without giving any further details, the mayor of DuPont said a celebration the Seahawks ( Rally ) for September 10, 2016. Marshall lost a sponsorship deal with the Air Academy Federal Credit Union after his protest . John Carlos , known for his protest at the 1968 Olympic Games , praised the action.

Audience ratings for the 2016 NFL season fell during the protests. In week 4 the games had a quarter fewer spectators than in the previous year. Only regional broadcasts saw an increase, which was only weak at 2%. The declining quality of the games, the increased advertising and the upcoming presidential election are also cited as the reason for the drop in ratings, but the protest is the main cause. In a survey, 32% of those questioned said that they showed less interest in the NFL as a result of the protests, while only 16% showed an increased interest as a result.

In the song Like Home by the American rapper Eminem , which is directed against Donald Trump, the protests are discussed. The second stanza says: "Even if it means sittin 'when they raise the flag / To sing" The Star-Spangled Banner "", in English: "Even if that means to stay seated when they raise the flag / to sing To sing "The Star-Spangled Banner".

Outside the NFL

Megan Rapinoe of Seattle Reign FC of the National Women's Soccer League also knelt during the national anthem. During a team game on September 7, 2016, the national anthem was therefore played by the players before they entered the field. In the college football game between the Indiana State Sycamores and the Minnesota Golden Gophers , Indiana's Lonnie Walker II knelt during the national anthem. On September 23 2017 kneeling Bruce Maxwell of the Oakland Athletics during the anthem and became the first player of the Major League Baseball who joined the protests. Before the game between Hertha BSC and FC Schalke 04 kicked off on October 14, 2017, the entire Hertha team, including the substitute bench, knelt.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Melanie Schmitz: How the NFL sold patriotism to the US military for millions. In: ThinkProgress . September 25, 2017. Retrieved September 27, 2017 .
  2. ^ David Mikkelson: Are NFL Players Required to Stand on the Field During the National Anthem? In: Snopes . Snopes, September 24, 2017, accessed September 27, 2017 .
  3. ↑ "Behave like an American" rp-online.de, accessed on September 9, 2018
  4. ↑ Colin Kaepernick will continue to sit during the national anthem. August 28, 2016, accessed September 12, 2016 .
  5. ^ Mark Sandritter: A timeline of Colin Kaepernick's national anthem protest and the NFL players who joined him . SB nation. September 11, 2016. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
  6. ↑ Steve Wyche: Colin Kaepernick explains why he sat during national anthem. August 27, 2016, accessed on September 12, 2016 .
  7. ↑ Seahawks' Jeremy Lane joins Colin Kaepernick's protest, sits during national anthem. USA Today, September 2, 2016, accessed September 12, 2016 .
  8. ↑ a b Ahiza Garcia and Kevin Dotson: Denver Broncos' Brandon Marshall gets dropped by sponsor for anthem protest. CNN Money, September 9, 2016, accessed September 12, 2016 .
  9. ↑ Cindy Boren: NFL season opens with 9/11 patriotism and protests in Seattle, Kansas City. Washington Post, September 11, 2016, accessed September 12, 2016 .
  10. ^ NFL's opening day: Reaction to Colin Kaepernick's anthem protest. CNN, September 12, 2016, accessed September 12, 2016 .
  11. ↑ a b Monday Night Football shines spotlight on national anthem protests. Reuters, September 12, 2016, accessed on September 13, 2016 .
  12. ↑ NFL players who protested during national anthem in Week 2. ESPN, accessed on May 14, 2017 .
  13. ^ NFL players who protested during the national anthem in Week 17. Retrieved May 14, 2017 (English).
  14. ↑ Protest in the NFL increases: Twelve Browns players kneel to the national anthem. Retrieved August 22, 2017 .
  15. ↑ Hansjürgen Mai: Donald Trump takes on top US players . In: Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung . September 25, 2017, p. 8 .
  16. ^ NFL Week 3: Raiders sit as a team while Redskins link arms; Steelers, Titans, Seahawks skip anthem. Retrieved September 26, 2017 .
  17. ↑ NFL announce fine for teams whose players kneel during national anthem. In: The Independent. May 23, 2018, accessed May 24, 2018 .
  18. ↑ NFL players react to Colin Kaepernick's national anthem protest. Sports Illustrated, August 30, 2016, accessed September 12, 2016 .
  19. ↑ Obama defends anthem protest from NFL star. Spiegel Online, September 6, 2016, accessed September 12, 2016 .
  20. ↑ DuPont mayor cancels annual Seahawks rally in response to players planned 'demonstration of unity'. Q13 Fox, accessed September 12, 2016 .
  21. ↑ NFL Boycotts, Kaepernick Backlash Becoming Major Factor As NFL Ratings Drop Yet Again In Week October 4 , 2016, accessed May 14, 2017 .
  22. ↑ Like Home Lyrics. Genius. Com, December 17, 2017, accessed September 8, 2018 .
  23. ↑ Soccer team plays anthem early to prevent Megan Rapinoe's silent protest. CBC, September 8, 2016, accessed September 12, 2016 .
  24. ^ Chip Patterson: Indiana State player joins Kaepernick in protesting during national anthem. CBS Sports, September 10, 2016, accessed September 13, 2016 .
  25. ↑ Oakland's Maxwell first MLB player to kneel during anthem. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on September 24, 2017 ; accessed on September 26, 2017 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.abcnews.go.com
  26. ↑ Hertha BSC stands for diversity, tolerance and responsibility! For a Berlin that will continue to be cosmopolitan in the future! #TakeAKnee #hahohe. Retrieved February 18, 2018 .