Colin Kaepernick and “Change the Game”
In 2016, football player Colin Kaepernick knelt on one knee during the National Anthem at a football game. He did this as a public reminder of the nation’s history of racism and a protest of police behavior towards African Americans. This began a national discussion about politics, sports, and symbolic protests. Some athletes supported and […]
The NFL and the Anthem
The National Football League (NFL) kicked off the 2021 season on Thursday, September 9. Some people who viewed the pregame ceremonies may have been surprised to hear two pre-game anthems. Yes, plural. The NFL has pledged to play “Lift Every Voice and Sing” in addition to performing the traditional “The Star-Spangled Banner” during pre-game ceremonies […]
Anthems, Protests, and Football
Last week, btw took a closer look at the grievance that professional football player Colin Kaepernick filed against the NFL, accusing teams of working together to refuse to give him a contract in order to punish him for performing peaceful protest (“taking a knee”) during the national anthem before games. (Kaepernick, a former quarterback for […]
Stuff YOU Should Know
Kaepernick vs. the NFL Over the past two years, the name Colin Kaepernick has become synonymous with the idea of protest. Even people who aren’t football fans are aware of Kaepernick and his refusal to stand for the national anthem. Kaepernick originally “took a knee” during the national anthem in 2016 as a player for […]