PRO/CON: Have the national anthem

protests been good for democracy?

By TIm Wendel and Merrill Matthews, Tribune Company on 10.11.16
Word Count 1,321

Rashard Robinson (33) and Antoine Bethea (41) of the San Francisco 49ers raise their sts in protest during the national
anthem before a football game against the Dallas Cowboys at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, October 2, 2016.
Photo: Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

PRO: Protests push all of us to face dilemma of racial injustice

When NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick began refusing to stand for the national anthem,
many media pundits and others chastised him for it. An important discussion about race,
class and violence in this country nearly fell into the news-cycle churn of a divisive election
year.
But then something surprising took place. Many in the sports world closed ranks around
Kaepernick and supported his right to protest even as they continued to stand, many with
hands over their hearts, for The Star-Spangled Banner.
San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said, I absolutely understand why theyre
doing what theyre doing, and I respect their courage for what theyve done.
Popovich, who served in the Air Force and is the new coach of the U.S. mens national
basketball team, added that, The important thing that Kaepernick and others have done is
to keep it in the conversation. With our 24/7 news, things seem to drift.
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Chip Kelly, Kaepernicks coach, said that his quarterbacks decision was his right as a
citizen.
Kaepernick, however, certainly isnt the rst prominent athlete to use his stage to take a
stand against racial inequality.
At Julys ESPY Awards, basketball players Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, Dwyane
Wade and Chris Paul took the stage to urge their fellow athletes to become socially more
involved. Serena Williams, Michael Irvin and others soon raised their voices, too.
From the black power salutes by Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the Mexico City
Olympics to Muhammad Alis stand against the Vietnam War, time and again, the sports
worlds best have led by example.
Generations ago, legends like Jesse Owens, Jackie Robinson set a model for what
athletes should stand for, Paul told the audience at the ESPYs. So we choose to follow in
their footsteps.
A half-century ago, the St. Louis Cardinals were one of the best teams in baseball for a
number of important reasons. Their roster not only included blacks and white but Latino
stars, too. Long before Jesse Jackson coined the phrase, the Cardinals were the rainbow
coalition of baseball, as Bob Gibson once said.
The morning after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.s assassination in 1968, Gibson got into a
heated conversation with his catcher, Tim McCarver. The future Hall of Fame pitcher told
McCarver that he couldnt possibly comprehend what it was like to be a black person and
that it was impossible for whites, no matter how well intentioned, to totally overcome
prejudice.
To his credit, McCarver, who had grown up in Memphis, Tenn., where King had been
struck down, refused to let the conversation end there. In doing so, McCarver found
himself in the unfamiliar position of arguing that the races were equal and that we were all
the same.
Years later, McCarver wrote that Bob and I reached a meeting of the minds that morning.
That was the kind of talk we often had on the Cardinals.
And thats the kind of frank, honest talk we need again.
Of course, many sports stars in the 1960s were criticized and worse for taking a public
stand.
Smith and Carlos were stripped of their medals. Ali was banished for years from boxing for
refusing to enter the draft. It took the country years to acknowledge the courage and even
the wisdom in the positions they took.
Their powerful silent protest in the 1968 Games was controversial, President Barack
Obama recently said of Smith and Carlos, but it woke folks up and created greater
opportunity for those that followed.
This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.

We nd ourselves at a similar crossroads today, and a growing number of athletes and

coaches realize it. They have dared to hold a mirror up to the rest of us, urging us to do
better as a nation. Its our loss if we refuse to heed their call.

ABOUT THE WRITER: Tim Wendel is the author of 11 books, including

Summer of 68: The Season That Changed Baseball, and America, Forever.
He is the writer in residence at Johns Hopkins Universitys Washington, D.C.,
campus.

CON: Dissing anthem hurts sports, insults most fans

For a long time, Americans of all economic classes, backgrounds and political
persuasions have been able to briey escape lifes stresses by communally watching
sports.
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, however, may change all that.
Hes not the rst to infuse politics into sports. At the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City,
for example, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, the 200-meter race gold and bronze winners,
were expelled after holding up black-gloved sts at their award presentation during the
playing of the national anthem.
Nor has Kaepernick been the only one to make a political statement at a sporting event
this year. In July, Minnesota Lynx players, part of the Womens National Basketball
Association, wore Black Lives Matter T-shirts during warm-ups before a game with the
Dallas Wings. Four off-duty ofcers providing security for the event walked off the job,
expressing their own type of protest.
But Kaepernicks high-prole visibility ignited the protest echo chamber, from high schools
to professional athletes.
While some have voiced their support for the protests, the general public may have a
different view.
Early reports indicate that NFL viewership is down this fall. And ESPN recently reported on
a poll nding Kaepernick the most disliked player in the NFL.
Its common in protest movements for some to try and push things to the next level.
If athletes can kneel during the playing of the national anthem, can they turn their back?
Can they stand on a U.S. ag or even burn it?
At some point, school administrators, coaches, sports associations, team owners, sports
reporters and even fans should ask themselves how far is too far?
While I dont question someones First Amendment right to express their views, I do
question the wisdom of the venue these athletes have chosen and more importantly,
their target. By protesting the national anthem, theyre protesting America.
This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.

Its true that America has at times failed to live up to its ideals, but it has also been striving
to form a more perfect union for decades and it has made a lot of progress.
There have been some tragic events lately involving black men and the police. While the
jury is still out on some of those incidents, some appear to have been real travesties of
justice.
But America didnt cause these tragedies. They occurred in Charlotte, N.C., Tulsa, Okla.,
New York City and other places. They are local incidents with local actors, even if they
have national ramications.
Some police ofcers and perhaps their departments and elected ofcials may have
failed the African-American community, but most Americans are outraged when injustices
occur and want those proven to have overreacted or committed illegal acts to be held
accountable.
If high-prole athletes want to make a difference, there are better and more meaningful
responses than dissing the national anthem and turning a sporting event into a national
soapbox.
If some want to express their concerns about current events, they should tell their
publicists they are open for speaking engagements off the eld or court. They will have
lots of opportunities and media coverage.
In addition, if those whose athletic talents have made them wealthy want to have an
impact, they should set up a nonprot foundation or program that actually addresses
specic problems. Put their money where their knee is.
Both Kaepernick and the 49ers recently announced they will be donating to charities
focusing on racial issues. But shouldnt that have been their initial response?
If some athletes continue to kneel during the playing of the national anthem, that should
encourage those of us who still take pride in America to stand a littler taller.
Playing the national anthem at a sporting event is a time for patriotism, not politics.

ABOUT THE WRITER: Merrill Matthews is a resident scholar with the Institute
for Policy Innovation in metropolitan Dallas.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.

Quiz
1

Which matter is left uncertain in the article?

(A)

What are the 49ers doing together about racial injustice?

(B)

What does President Obama think about the athletes who were punished for
taking a public stand on political issues?

(C)

What do most Americans feel about recent events between black men and
the police?

(D)

What do the majority of coaches think about professional athletes taking a

political stance at sporting events?

Which of the following selections from the article suggests that communication between racial
groups can help solve the problem of injustice?
(A)

Popovich, who served in the Air Force and is the new coach of the U.S.
mens national basketball team, added that, The important thing that
Kaepernick and others have done is to keep it in the conversation. With
our 24/7 news, things seem to drift.

(B)

Years later, McCarver wrote that Bob and I reached a meeting of the minds
that morning. That was the kind of talk we often had on the Cardinals. And
thats the kind of frank, honest talk we need again.

(C)

Their powerful silent protest in the 1968 Games was controversial,

President Barack Obama recently said of Smith and Carlos, but it woke
folks up and created greater opportunity for those that followed.

(D)

They have dared to hold a mirror up to the rest of us, urging us to do better
as a nation. Its our loss if we refuse to heed their call.

Complete the following sentence.

The CON author's purpose in his part of the article is ........
(A)

to highlight the meaning of the American national anthem.

(B)

to state that Kaepernick insulted most Americans.

(C)

to explain that Americans need to escape stress by watching sports.

(D)

to give examples of protests at high school sporting events.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.

Why does the PRO author include the following quote from basketball player Chris Paul in the
article?

Generations ago, legends like Jesse Owens, Jackie Robinson set

a model for what athletes should stand for, Paul told the audience at
the ESPYs. So we choose to follow in their footsteps.
(A)

to explain why we should pay attention to what professional athletes stand

for

(B)

to describe an example of how Americans should oppose racial injustice

(C)

to support his argument that professional athletes should express their

political views

(D)

to show how professional athletes have been role models for generations

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.

Answer Key
1

Which matter is left uncertain in the article?

(A)

What are the 49ers doing together about racial injustice?

(B)

What does President Obama think about the athletes who were punished for
taking a public stand on political issues?

(C)

What do most Americans feel about recent events between black men and
the police?

(D)

What do the majority of coaches think about professional athletes

taking a political stance at sporting events?

Which of the following selections from the article suggests that communication between racial
groups can help solve the problem of injustice?
(A)

Popovich, who served in the Air Force and is the new coach of the U.S.
mens national basketball team, added that, The important thing that
Kaepernick and others have done is to keep it in the conversation. With
our 24/7 news, things seem to drift.

(B)

Years later, McCarver wrote that Bob and I reached a meeting of the
minds that morning. That was the kind of talk we often had on the
Cardinals. And thats the kind of frank, honest talk we need again.

(C)

Their powerful silent protest in the 1968 Games was controversial,

President Barack Obama recently said of Smith and Carlos, but it woke
folks up and created greater opportunity for those that followed.

(D)

They have dared to hold a mirror up to the rest of us, urging us to do better
as a nation. Its our loss if we refuse to heed their call.

Complete the following sentence.

The CON author's purpose in his part of the article is ........
(A)

to highlight the meaning of the American national anthem.

(B)

to state that Kaepernick insulted most Americans.

(C)

to explain that Americans need to escape stress by watching sports.

(D)

to give examples of protests at high school sporting events.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.

Why does the PRO author include the following quote from basketball player Chris Paul in the
article?

Generations ago, legends like Jesse Owens, Jackie Robinson set

a model for what athletes should stand for, Paul told the audience at
the ESPYs. So we choose to follow in their footsteps.
(A)

to explain why we should pay attention to what professional athletes stand

for

(B)

to describe an example of how Americans should oppose racial injustice

(C)

to support his argument that professional athletes should express their

political views

(D)

to show how professional athletes have been role models for generations

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.