In Defense of the Anthem

Today we celebrate the 15th anniversary of a terrible act of terrorism on American soil - the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001. Nearly three thousand people lost their lives, because a group of Islamic Extremists took action based on a hateful intolerant ideology and their lack of respect for life.

One of the most memorable and enduring images in the aftermath of those attacks was the torn flag that remained at Ground Zero. The entire nation came together and mourned with symbols of remembrance and American patriotism front and center. We recognized, that despite our differences, we were all Americans and all share in the road to healing from this tragedy.

That message was not lost in the world of sports. The teams of usually hated rivals came together in a show of solidarity with sports teams singing the Star Spangled Banner and America The Beautiful together. They didn't merely 'go through the motions', they showed solidarity with all Americans who recognized and mourned the loss.

This level of solidarity is more important than ever today, with certain groups in our society more entrenched than ever. These groups show layers of division that cannot conceive of a point of view other than their own righteous cause. Furthermore, anyone who dares challenge those views is vilified to the greatest extent of their fact-stretched under-informed opinions. Fifteen year later, we stand more divided than I ever recall in recent history.

So while these groups may see the Anthem or the Flag as a symbol of oppression, many others see them as a sign of hope and memory for those we have lost. Immigrants, such as myself, see these as a symbol of a new life within the adopted country. Servicemen and women see them as a means of pride and paying homage to their fallen friends and those who came to serve before them.

When a protest is made against the Anthem or the Flag, the individuals who do this drive the divisions between the people who respect and honor these patriotic tenets and themselves. If you are serious about bringing awareness to your cause and swaying the opinion of others, your primary purpose is to attract support for your cause. When you protest the Anthem or the Flag, you are automatically driving a significant portion of American people away from the cause you are promoting, before anyone has a chance to hear the message.


In essence, you are defeating your own cause from the very beginning. People tend to confuse popularity for effectiveness in this era of social media and hype. While this campaign has enjoyed great popularity, it's effectiveness has been negligible and even counter-productive for the aforementioned reasons. 

Just because you have the freedom to do something, doesn't mean it is a good idea. In the words of Henry DeSalvo from Big Trouble: "There isn't any rule that says I can't come over here and fart on your entree. But I don't do it. And do you know why? Because it would be bad manners"

Colin Kaepernick

An NFL quarterback named Colin Kaepernick decided to sit during the national anthem in a preseason game last week, while the rest of his teammates stood to honor the nation and the flag. The act has drawn both support and condemnation immediately. As a professional athlete, hearing your national anthem is routine at sporting events and is done to honor the country and the people who have served to protect it since its inception.

In a statement given to reporters after the game, he explained that he will not honor the flag in a country that oppresses black people and people of color. He went on further to say that this is bigger than football and that there are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder. He went on to say that if football and endorsements are taken away from him, he will know that he made the right decision.

I don't see a big deal with Colin not standing for the anthem, since it is not required by the league and there's no requirement by the sporting venue, nor the personnel serving the sporting event. You don't want to stand, you don't stand. As long as your teammates are alright with you doing your own thing while the rest of the team stands for the anthem and the team unity is not defined by this act, you're not hurting anyone.

But here are the reasons why this entire episode stinks of opportunism. In 2015, he lost his starting job with the San Francisco 49ers after a long string of underwhelming performances. This followed his request to be traded during the off-season. Without a resolution to the request, during the preseason friction with the management has increased and questions about his future in the NFL became a lot more pronounced. Fighting just to stay on the team, the situation did not look good.

A statement like the one he made during last week's preseason game's national anthem was sure to raise eyebrows and make any decision on Kaepernick's future by the 49ers a lot more scrutinized, if in fact the franchise were to decide to release him. By taking the civil rights stand, his place on the team became secure, at least as a backup quarterback for the time being. No franchise would take a chance at alienating a large portion of its fans by cutting a player who took a civil rights stand.

The civil rights issues he has addressed didn't just occur during this off-season. They have been front and center in every publication and social media site for the past three years. Yet he made no recorded mention in the media with this respect and did not provide anything that could be construed as a distraction to his team until his own future in football was on the line.

Well known NBA athletes like Dwayne Wade, Chris Paul, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony made more powerful and more effective civil rights statements in the same arena during this year without refusing to stand for the national anthem. Anthony stood proudly for the anthem, as it played during the Olympics in Rio, as he and team USA won the gold. But then again, these athletes didn't have to assure themselves of a roster spot.

Whoever Colin Kaepernick's Public Relations agent is, I believe they are doing a bang-up job of keeping him employed... for now.