Max V. Massachusetts

National Anthem Debate

Recently, many people have been debating about whether or not it is okay that Colin Kaepernick and many other football players have kneeled during the national anthem. In this article I will explain why I believe it is okay that he kneeled during the national anthem.

Dear Madam or Mr. President,

The NFL has had a lot of unwanted publicity surrounding it lately due to the topic of the national anthem. This has been happening due to San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick because instead of standing during the national anthem he kneeled. Kaepernick not standing has started a big conversation about if he is right or wrong and a lot of athletes have followed him in kneeling during the national anthem or just locking arms. After he kneeled a lot of coaches and sports icons have put their voice into this conversation. I have a strong opinion on this topic because I watch football every sunday and a lot of other sports shows so I have heard a lot of different opinions on this article. The two sides of the debate are that he is just using his freedom of speech or other people think that he is being disrespectful because he is doing it in front of the American flag which would be disrespectful to the military. I personally believe that it is okay that he is doing what he is doing. Some people believe he chose a disrespectful way to convey his opinions, but I see why he’s upset and I see where he is coming from. I also believe he is using his freedom of speech which in my opinion is a good way to express his opinions.

One reason why I think it’s an okay thing to do is because this topic has really caught fire and let other people’s voices be heard. For example an author in the New York Times wrote “So have players at Garfield High School in Seattle; Castlemont High in Oakland, Calif.; Woodrow Wilson High in Camden, N.J.; and Mission High in San Francisco. At Omaha Central High, cheerleaders and band members have joined the protest. And in Beaumont, Tex., so have 11- and 12-year-olds from a youth team called the Beaumont Bulls.” I think this is important because it has helped other kids around the country that have had the same problem feel like their voices are being heard. Also, since there has recently been a lot of talk about this topic and Colin Kaepernick has started a big conversation, people who are dealing with this same problem feel like they are being cared and talked about which probably makes them feel better. Also he makes people believe that if they have a problem with a topic or issue then they just have to come out and say their opinion.

I additionally feel that people should get punished for what they are saying and that people should let the kneeling athletes know that it’s okay. First of all, a writer for ESPN quoted the hockey coach for the U.S. in the hockey world cup John Tortorella saying “On Tuesday, Tortorella told ESPN: ‘If any of my players sit on the bench for the national anthem, they will sit there the rest of the game.’" I think that this is very terrible for him to say this because it makes people feel like that they can’t express their opinions who are in the minority. I also disagree with him because the first amendment gives you freedom of speech unless you are putting someone in danger and obviously he is not putting anybody in danger so he should have the right to say what he wants. The commissioner of the NFL Roger Goodell was quoted in the Washington post saying “‘We encourage our players to be active in their communities and to speak out when they see things that should be changed,’ Goodell said at FedEx Field.” I believe it was good that he said this because I do believe that it’s fine what Kaepernick is doing and there had been a lot of gray area about what the NFL thought about it and him coming out really helped let people know if he should be punished or not for doing it. Also I think this was good of him to say, because he relatively silenced a lot of the people who were against him kneeling and also he does not have the best reputation because he did not let the Dallas Cowboys wear a patch honoring the shot police officers so him saying this put him in a better light.

In conclusion future President, I believe that you should say that what Colin Kaepernick is doing is an okay thing because that is what I believe and it will clear the air. Also you should make a statement to the NFL saying that what he is doing is okay so he does not get suspended by the NFL which would probably make a lot of people very mad and cause more problems. Also the NFL and you should be very clear about how what he is doing is an okay thing to do because it makes the minorities feel better and so maybe it will cause them to settle down. This is important because we do not want to get them angered because he could have protested in a violent way and other people could have instead too but instead he did it peacefully. Many people believe that he is being disrespectful because he is disrespecting the army but I completely disagree with that because our military won our freedom including freedom of speech so I think he is just using his powers the military gave us.

Sincerely,

Max

Baker ELA

Pink

8th Grade

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