Football and patriotism are closely related because what event brings a large majority of Americans together, the Super Bowl. Every 1st Sunday in the month of February, it seems that the country’s differences are set aside for the next 3 hours or so.

But, a protest in the NFL has stirred up emotions of equality and social justice that some football fans may not want to discuss. During the 2016-2017 NFL season, former backup quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers, Colin Kaepernick, began to kneel during the national anthem. It sparked many analysts of the game and fans to either praise Kaepernick or condemn him. Some see him as a hero while others view him as a villain.

This article will not go into what experts think of him. The purpose of this article is to see whether football high schoolers should be allowed to join in the protest of kneeling during the anthem.

A phone interview was conducted with assistant football coach Chad Wheeler. He is currently at Oakleaf High School in Jacksonville, Florida. He has experience coaching in the Charleston area as well. He was the head football coach at James Island Christian School from 2014-2015. He was also a Citadel football assistant coach for a short stint.

When asked about what he thought about Kaepernick’s protest when it first started Wheeler said, “I believed it was just a publicity stunt.” He didn’t see how kneeling during the anthem was going to change the situations in America. Kaepernick was no longer a big name in the NFL, so all that he was doing made it seem that he needed the attention.

Throughout the interview, Coach Wheeler started to reflect on what else Kaepernick has done to bring the change. “I have heard of him donating money and giving back to communities in various ways,” said Wheeler, “but I don’t think he needed to kneel for those actions of his to occur.” The next portion of the article will discuss the impact on high school football players.

Wheeler said, “I just don’t think high school football players should have that platform like Kaepernick is using.” There is an important point he made while answering this question on is it acceptable to kneel for the anthem?

The point made was that Kaepernick is a professional athlete and that is his job. High school athletes are not paid for playing, it is an opportunity that they have earned. It is not their role to make that stance. This is not to say that sixteen, seventeen and eighteen-year-old high schoolers shouldn’t be concerned about the state of our nation. It is important for the next generation to be aware of the issues that continually plague the nation.

At the middle point of the phone interview, Wheeler said that a compromise could be reached between the players and the coaches. “If my players can give a solid, articulated reasoning behind the kneeling of the national anthem, then I may consider it,” said Wheeler.

Protests happen all the time around the world, but what needs to happen is that there is a concrete reason behind the protest. Because if there is, the protest no matter how peaceful it is will be worthless and a waste of time.

Another aspect that was emphasized during the interview was the idea of unity. Wheeler said, “If one wants to kneel, then all will be asked if they believe in this. When trying to grow a winning program, it is essential that comradery is established. If five are kneeling, fifteen are standing and the rest are doing other variations of both actions. Then it has broken comradery.” Coach Wheeler sees the trouble this country has, but he wants high schoolers to not just “follow the trend” rather have a purpose for what you are doing and standing for.

What is important about this situation is that kneeling for the anthem can be seen as two things. First, many will view this as a disrespectful act to America and our armed forces. Secondly, this protest has started a new look at the flag and the national anthem themselves, even though that is not what the true intent was. This article is not here to choose either side of the argument.

The purpose is to present the issue and show what an accomplished high school football coach sees going on. Wheeler never once condemned the various players or Kaepernick himself for the stance they are making. If you are doing this while being proactive in at-risk communities, then you are living what you preach.

Wheeler says what high schools can do for their athletes’ voices to be heard is have them do various service projects to make the world better. Wheeler said, “Kneeling is not the only thing for football players to bring change. There is so much more that can and must be done.” When a problem is recognized it is up to you to choose the response taken. Sitting down and doing nothing is just as bad as the act itself.