Unless you've been living under a rock the past few weeks, you might have heard a thing or two about NFL athletes refusing to stand for the National Anthem. Here's a little background if you're not up to date on the current controversy:
The movement was started by 49ers backup quarterback Colin Kaepernick as a way of expressing his distaste for the injustices African-Americans face in our country. While Kaepernick sat through his first National Anthem weeks ago during a preseason game, the controversy has not died down, but instead taken on a life of its own. Some have perceived his actions as heroic and a handful of other athletes have also begun to sit or kneel as well during the honoring of our nation. Needless to say, not everyone believes that Kaepernick is a selfless hero of social justice. Many believe he is, instead, disrespecting our nation and those who have served and died (including countless African-Americans) for the very flag he is refusing to honor.
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I have even discussed the issue with some people who believe it is all a publicity stunt to bring the limelight back on the now-benched quarterback. Whatever end of the hero-villain spectrum one may believe Kaepernick lies on, there is no denying that the backlash has been immense. In fact, a poll conducted by USA Today found that Kaepernick is the most disliked player in the NFL today. Despite all the controversy caused by their actions, it seems like Colin Kaepernick and the other athletes joining him by taking a knee during our National Anthem will continue to do so for the for the foreseeable future.
When I first heard of Kaepernick's refusal to stand, I was not one of the outraged people claiming that someone should force him to stand or fine him millions of dollars. Under the protections of the Constitution, Kaepernick has the right to sit during the National Anthem, just as I have the right to say that he is an overpaid and below average backup quarterback. Instead of being upset, his actions began to make me question my own. My entire life I had always just stood with everyone else at events while our anthem played and never really thought twice about it. I asked myself "If Colin Kaepernick kneels during the National Anthem to protest the injustices he sees in our nation, then why do I stand?" This question stayed with me over the next few days. I began to think of the flaws and injustices that still persist in the imperfect nation we live in.
Problems such as poverty, social injustice, and the Trump/Clinton 2016 campaigns were among the most troublesome issues that plagued my mind. Just as I was beginning to think that Colin Kaepernick might have some merit in sitting out the National Anthem, I thought back to the trip I took to Arlington National Cemetery in middle school and the rows of white grave markers upon green grass that filled the ground as far as the eye could see. The names of my own family members who have served this country with honor as far back as the Civil War also came to my mind.
Ultimately, the faces of those I currently know of the armed services were the strongest images on my conscious. Suddenly, I was no longer questioning why I stand during the honoring of our nation. It was all very clear to me. I stand for the men and women buried under the white grave markers. I stand for the generations of my family that answered the call and put on the uniform to protect the nation that they loved. I stand because I believe that if America can stand together, we can solve the very injustices and flaws that threaten to tear us apart. Above all of these reasons, though, I stand for the men and women in uniform who make so many sacrifices to protect our nation, despite its flaws. These men and women spend months away from their families so that I can safely spend time with my own. They put their lives on the line to protect Colin Kaepernick's right to sit through the very song that honors their sacrifices. Because in the end, that is what the National Anthem stands for to me; the honoring of our nation and those, past and present, who made sacrifices for it. That is why I stand for the National Anthem, and always will.
