During their Sunday games, most NFL teams participated in the protest in one way or another - players kneeled, sat, or stood together with arms linked in unity. Some teams elected to stay off the field during the anthem in an attempt to avoid the controversy altogether. Interestingly, the Pittsburgh Steelers decided on this course of action so that offensive tackle Alejandro Villanueva, the sole player on the team who wanted to stand for the anthem as usual, would not be visibly singled out. Nonetheless, he could be seen standing at the entrance to the field, with other players and coaches behind him in the tunnel (some of them with their hands on their hearts in salute to the flag as well).
These events have been reported on and scrutinized from a variety of angles, so what follows are a few less popular observations.
1) NFL teams and players are private actors.
There's something to be said about the unfortunate pressure faced by professional athletes as public figures in this situation. If they come down on the wrong side of such a controversy, they risk alienating fans or creating discord amongst their teammates and/or team ownership... all of which puts at risk the success of the team on the field and, as a result, its financial success. Kaepernick, a free agent at the end of last season, remains unsigned as the current season enters its fourth week; some speculate that his acts of protest amount to a liability that no NFL team wants to take on.
It's an ominous reminder to current players that despite their right to free public expression, their employers are private actors who hold influence over their lives, since the First Amendment merely proscribes the government from taking action that infringes on speech. NFL employment is governed by league-wide collective bargaining protections as well as the terms of each individual contract. At least one reporter has concluded that a team could probably "fire" a player for protesting the national anthem, due to vague provisions about "personal conduct" and "public respect" for the game. Regardless, most of the official statements released by the teams expressed unwavering support for the players' desire to peacefully influence social justice, so it's not likely that participation in #TakeAKnee will result in any player dismissals.
2) Both sides of the argument are diminished by ignorance.
As with most politically-charged disagreements, this issue has been improperly reduced to an either/or, "us-versus-them" choice. The impetus to "pick a side" is particularly ripe in the powder keg of social media. Twitter, Facebook, and other platforms are alight with posts that proclaim support for #TakeAKnee in the name of free expression, while others deride the demonstrations as unpatriotic.
Opponents of #TakeAKnee diminish their own argument by misunderstanding key components of the movement - namely, jumping to the conclusion that anyone protesting the anthem is inherently unpatriotic. Patriotism is defined as "vigorous support for one's country". This doesn't necessarily imply support for the flag or the military at the expense of other societal causes. There's a popular meme circulating which states that "Thinking NFL players are 'protesting the flag' is like thinking Rosa Parks was protesting transportation."
Another bit of nuance missing from the discussion is that critics of #TakeAKnee are fully entitled to their feelings. The same First Amendment that allows protest also permits vocal opposition to the movement. Nonetheless, the most legitimate criticisms of the protest are those which recognize the true basis of the campaign. Villanueva articulated an understanding of the issues Kaepernick seeks to call attention to, despite his opinion that doing so during the national anthem is inappropriate.
Conversely, it delegitimizes the campaign when its supporters call out certain public figures by name, imploring them to #TakeAKnee. A protest such as this should stand on its own merits, attracting support from those who genuinely believe in the cause without pressure to cater to a certain fanbase. It is human nature for there to be disagreements in society, and the change the movement seeks to effectuate will not come to fruition immediately.
If and when circumstances do improve, it stands to reason that there will still be opponents to the cause. I'm reminded of the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, namely the proliferation of American flags and other pro-U.S. displays. After a time, a chorus of critics emerged decrying this era of so-called "bandwagon patriotism"; that is to say, they dismissed an objectively positive movement as a mere fad instead of a genuine display of national pride.
3) Avoiding the controversy may not be possible... nor necessary.
For the aforementioned reasons involving possible fan alienation and its effect on their bottom line, it's understandable that NFL teams sought to avoid controversial optics involving the national anthem. But staying off the field as a team seems like a compromise where everyone loses, since it deprives players the opportunity to protest OR to participate in the traditional anthem ritual. Linking arms, too, smacks of a half-measure, though it amounts to an act of protest insofar as defying the "normal" ritual of standing with a hand on one's heart for the anthem.
The teams' statements, though, told a different story. Many of these explicitly pushed back against Trump's remarks that the NFL should quash the protests. One owner went so far as to thoughtfully enunciate the dichotomy between respecting our country's symbols of freedom, "including the right to have differences of opinion". All of the remarks emphasized the role of sport as both a unifier in society and an appropriate avenue for influencing social justice.
Hence, despite some calls that professional athletes "stick to sports," the NFL has afforded some latitude to the #TakeAKnee campaign. Before it's over, there is likely to be further discussion, conflict, and controversy. As I said before, it is both our nature and our right to disagree.
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