#KneelStandFightSB52

Indicative of a divided America is the NFL protest sparked by the former San Francisco 49ers backup quarterback Colin Kaepernick. While Kaepernick’s protest at the start of the 2016 season was aimed at police brutality and race relations, it has metastasized into a national issue of insulting the American flag. Many people interpreted Kaepernick’s bravery as an insult to the national anthem, the flag, the military, and the nation.

Kneeling during the national anthem as protest, Kaepernick dominated the media of the season’s beginning. “President” Trump called Kaepernick and those who knelt with him “sons of bitches,” thus more players joined in with more than 150 player protests and approximately 20 team demonstrations. Over the span of the season, the protest dwindled down to seven players whom continued to kneel. Not one of these seven are on the NFL’s two best teams of the season. Due to this, not one of the players at Super Bowl LII is expected to take a knee, of the Patriots or the Eagles.

The biggest game and the largest audience of the NFL season, and the only expected protest is to occur outside the dome—presumably going uncovered by media outlets. The activist group, Take a Knee Nation, and other demonstrators are rallying outside of the U.S Bank Stadium just as they have outside of each home Vikings game this season. What does this mean? Take a Knee nation is not only rallying in response to race and violence, but for the right to protest. Of course, there are those who see activism and activists as a nuisance and an obstruction to the connective bonds of sports. They think, “They should stop with all of the politics, salute the flag, and just play the game.”

It is this mentality that Colin Kaepernick’s protest was fighting against. Kaepernick expressed that the problem he has with pledging to the flag in the following statement:

“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.”

The nation of America is one that was built upon oppression and violence of black and people of color. America is a nation that has always been divided. How is it that, “United we stand, divided we fall”? If you stand for the flag, are you also standing for oppression? Violence? Racism?

For me, I will fight—not be a bystander.