From the 1968 Olympics where Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their fists during the National Anthem in solidarity with black people to Colin Kaepernick kneeling for the anthem in the past year or two, protesting in sports has always been around. The anthem is a very sensitive topic to debate on and although some people may say that not standing for the anthem is disrespectful to our veterans, the athletes are exercising their rights that are protected under the first Amendment
Colin Kaepernick and the other athletes taking the knee are not being disrespectful, they are just standing up for what they believe in. There is a deeper meaning behind their controversial message. "I'm 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." (Colin). Kaepernick is using his platform to make a change. His protest is incredibly important especially in light of recent events in this country. It is important for this message to be heard …show more content…
While that is a valid argument, veterans fight to protect our rights. Like the rights guaranteed to us under the first amendment. They are fighting for us to be free so Kaepernick is just exercising his rights that the veterans fought for. Also, not all veterans are upset about this. A good amount of them support the movement. Under the hashtag veterans for Kaepernick they share their support. “I gave up my physical health & most of my sanity so people could do what he did. I fought for his RIGHT to protest.” says a veteran on twitter. These teets prove the point that veterans are proud of Kaepernick and yes they fought for this country, but they will not support a racist