NFL, kneeling, and the National Anthem: Zona Zealots Site Experts chime in

The latest remarks by President Trump on athletes and the National Anthem have rocked American sports, and we felt the need to chime in.

Zona Zealots Contributors had a long hearty discussion on what’s going on in the NFL and with President Donald Trump regarding his message to NFL owners about the National Anthem and athletes kneeling in a silent protest.

There is not much middle ground here. Folks either see the kneeling during the National Anthem as a disrespectful or peaceful protest.

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Shereen Rayan and Eric Townsend are the Site Experts for Zona Zealots, and we felt that it was our responsibility to convey the different viewpoints from our Contributors as the Nation discusses the issue. We hope we have discussed this subject in a respectful and delicate manner.

Shereen Rayan – Peaceful Protest is valid and should be respected, and brave Americans are expressing their opinions exercising their rights. Military men and women die every day to protect our rights to express our views, so these athletes should not be vilified. Their message is also not well understood, and that’s where they could do a better job.

The national anthem is war song…what should be respected at all times is the Pledge of Allegiance. The Pledge to your country is when you stand and put your hand on your heart and pledge your allegiance to your country. The National Anthem is NOT a pledge to your country. It is your country’s song…listen to the words…its a song about winning a war (written in 1814 during the war of 1812 at Ft. McHenry).

“Has the meaning behind ‘taking a knee’ changed? According to Kaepernick, he was never protesting against America, but rather against injustices within America. His point was to bring awareness to racial inequality and police brutality in minority communities. “We have cops that are murdering people, we have cops in the SFPD that are blatantly racist. And those issues need to be addressed,” explained Kaepernick in a press conference. When viewed in that way, it may be easier to understand his intentions. While the original message may be the same, it’s hard to deny the latest group of player protests may have been more directed towards President Trump’s remarks.

Kaepernick donated $1 million to charity and spoke out about getting his message back on track, “A way to try to show more respect for the men and women who fight for this country.”

"“I realize that men and women of the military go out and sacrifice their lives and put themselves in harm’s way for my freedom of speech and my freedoms in this country and my freedom to take a seat or take a knee so I have the utmost respect for them.” Colin Kaepernick Via Bill Hoffman of NewsMax.com"

I think Kaepernick wants America to be great. And America is not great if there is no equality. Also, protesting in the streets was not a method that worked, even though that seems to be the method acceptable if done peaceably. This was his silent but meaningful answer as a peaceful protest, but he got vilified, and not hired.

LeBron James spoke up today about the matter:

So in a way, the Presidents advice to owners was taken before he gave it at least for Kap. I believe ‘Take a knee’ post-Presidents comments have taken on a new meaning. Now players taking a knee can mean a lot more and mean different things to different people. I am with Mike Tomlin, head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. This is dividing not only the country, but teams, and that isn’t good for football. His team stayed off the field completely except for one player whose jersey is now very popular.

Cindy Boren of the Washington post quoted Tomlin:

"“We’re chasing something special here in 2017 and we’re not going to play politics.We’re football players. We’re football coaches. We’re not participating in the anthem today. Not to be disrespectful to the anthem, but to remove ourselves from the circumstance.“People shouldn’t have to choose. If a guy wants to go about his normal business and participate in the anthem, he shouldn’t have to be forced to choose sides. If a guy feels the need to do something, he shouldn’t be separated from his teammate who chooses not to. So we’re not participating today."

NFL owners make a ton of money off of their employees, most of them of color on the field, and the players make money as well. But as an employer, empathizing with your employees, supporting your employees, and celebrating diversity are what most companies do. Stanley Kroenke, the Rams owner, gave a thoughtful response.

The military is made up of men and women of all walks of life including people of color, they fight for our country, for our rights like freedom of speech. There have been military who have supported the athletes who are kneeling to make a point.

J. Cole, a beloved singer/rapper, is in the “Just stop watching the NFL” camp and wrote a series of tweets about how important it is to send a message that not hiring Colin Kaepernick because of his protest is not acceptable. Maybe the best advice as a peaceful protest thus far.

For me, I empathize with wanting equality and less police brutality. I also support the police because without the well-meaning policemen and women risking their lives, the USA would be a scary place. I wish those who condemn these athletes and see their actions as anti-USA would help them with pushing for equality and less police brutality or give some great advice other than marching through the streets which we know has accomplished nothing. That said, I respect their opinion and understand that’s their feelings come from a love of country.

Eric Townsend- I understand the right, freedom, and ability to express your opinion as a means of peaceful protest (something our service men and women fight and die for), but just because it is a right, doesn’t mean that IT IS right to express it in this way. Personally, I feel these kneelings are misdirected, disrespectful, and some are done half-heartedly because it is the trendy thing to do. 

For the record, I don’t agree with the language President Trump used to initially weigh in on the situation. With that said, as a grandson and cousin to former vets, I also have seen first-hand the sacrifices they have chosen to make.

Within our very foundation as a nation, our Declaration of Independence states; “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

As a nation, we are broken, we are not perfect, and we have a history that we would love to erase. However, we cannot forget that that stain in history, should be a constant reminder that while we have come a long way, there is still growth needed to be done.

The divisiveness and growing tensions in this country are bigger than you and I, and I’m not going to stand here pretending to know all the answers or solutions. However, I will say, the division is mounting, and we need to find a way to put aside the differences and come together. Former Arizona Football Player Brandon Tatum spoke out on the subject:

With all the perceived negativity you may have of the American flag, you also cannot forget to attribute all the positives, that have afforded many of us opportunities. Especially for minorities in the right to vote, desegregation of schools, the ability to go from poor to earning an honest living, and so on.

To me, kneeling is a show of disrespect. Peaceful or not, you have that right, but it is still disrespectful. Our brothers and sisters have fought for us, and the common courtesy we owe them is to stand for them as they fought for what they believed in. Any time they honor a soldier at halftime, do you also kneel or stay seated for that?

To me, it is far more courageous infighting and potentially coming home under the flag, than it is kneeling before one.

The anthem is about hope and unity, why would you oppose the message behind it? As a means of drawing attention? If you want to change, then do something about it! Don’t sit there continuing to take a knee one year later, and continuing to make excuses.

Props to the courageous ones in taking a stance on something, but if you’re serious about change, then it’s time for action!

Be out in the communities, if you don’t agree with the legislation, then vote! Don’t like what’s happening in your community, then be the change!

Since Colin Kaepernick took a knee, what else has been done since that time? Sure HE has donated money, but there have been countless deaths, violence in the inner cities is still rampant, and black on black crime is still of major concern, yet where is the outrage and action to resolve those issues too?

As for the flag, it has nothing to do with the issues and concerns you’re voicing, and you’re using the wrong platform to protest in my opinion.

Also, how do you expect people to take this seriously when this is how Kaepernick condoned himself off the field last year amid his protests…

If we’re talking about oppression, why did he wear shirts of Che Guevara and Fidel Castro, two heinous political figures that killed and oppressed their own people?

Here is former Arizona Wildcat safety and current police officer Brandon Tatum speaking out and sharing many of the same beliefs as I Do.

Must Read: More on Arizona Basketball from ZZ..

This is a very delicate subject that the entire United States Media is talking about and both sides feel passionate about their stance. We hope the discussion continues and people can try to understand both sides of the issue with an open heart as we head into Week 3 of regular season NFL play.