Sports teams across the nation have faced waves of controversy and criticism as athletes have joined a new protest and movement where they refuse to stand for the National Anthem before a game to raise awareness towards issues of inequality in the United States.

The protest began in Santa Clara, California as San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick refused to stand for the national anthem to stand up for the mistreatment and racial inequality of African Americans in the United States.

Although Kaepernick was hoping to follow the lead of other athletes such as Chris Paul, Lebron James, or Dwyane Wade, who have also continuously used sports media to advocate for civil rights and equality, he has faced an overwhelming heat of skepticism from people who believe it is unpatriotic and disrespectful to refuse to honor the United States by standing for the National Anthem.

Hall of Fame coach Mike Ditka went as far as to say to Kaepernick, “Get the hell out if you don’t like America”.

With such a variation of perspectives within the ongoing to debate, I have found it very challenging to determine if Kaepernick lacks patriotism, or if his actions are fueled by a discrimination that needs to be shown to the public, and what better platform than the NFL?

Although Kaepernick’s risky decision has landed him in a complicated debacle that now involves his reputation in the NFL, his salary, and a wave of condemnation from his opponents, or even teammates, there are also many people that support his bravery to advocate for a cause that is so prominent in our country today.

The Chicago Tribune claims, “The United States flag represents Kaepernick’s right not to stand for the National Anthem”.

After much thought and consideration on the issue, I couldn’t agree more.

With such violent protests and hateful encounters assimilated amongst those advocating for police brutality, and the Black Lives Matter movement, Colin Kaepernick found a way to PEACEFULLY kneel down for a song in protest.

I applaud the world of sports for doing their part to be involved in such a political and racial spiral of issues.

With the election coming up, and the recent North Carolina fatal shooting of Keith Scott, Kaepernick- as a United States citizen- should feel proud to use his position as a professional athlete to stand up for what he believes is important and should be exposed to the world as a serious issue that needs to change in order for us to credibly be “The Land of the Free”.

As I write this article I am fully confident in the fact that I entirely support the United States, our military, and the flag- as I am extremely proud to live in such an amazing country. However, with such controversy induced into our everyday lives about racial inequality or police brutality, I support Colin Kaepernick’s decision to raise awareness in a peaceful manner. Without individuals like him advocating for change, who will?