In the U.S., sports have become a tremendous part of our national identity and there’s no denying their ability to unite diverse groups of people. So what happens when the players start to speak out on the field? The country listens.
A quick recap
In 2016, SF 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the national anthem in silent protest of police brutality and racial inequality. Last month, more than 200 players took a knee during the anthem in solidarity with Kap.
Now the Green Bay Packers invite fans to join in.
On September 28th, the Packers asked fans to link arms during the anthem in solidarity with this movement. In a public statement, the team said uniting in diversity gives our country its strength. Fans from both teams linked arms as the anthem played.
“Sports and politics have always intersected,” said Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers at a press conference following the game.
“Beauty is, it’s a free country so they can choose to do it or not. The messaging [around] this, unfortunately, needs to continue to be redirected, I think. It’s never been about the national anthem. It’s never been about the military. We’re all patriotic in the locker room. We love our troops. This is about something bigger than that—an invitation to show unity in the face of some divisiveness from the top in this country. And I’m proud of our guys.”
Another Packers teammate, Martellus Bennett, didn’t mince words when he tweeted, “I’m ok with being fired for what I believe in.” But the team’s CEO Mark Murphy is in full support, so we’re not too worried about Bennett (Dallas Cowboys CEO, Jerry Jones, also took a knee with his team.)
“This is about equality,” Rodgers continued. “This is about unity and love and growing together as a society, and starting a conversation around something that may be a little bit uncomfortable for people. But we’ve got to come together and talk about these things and grow as a community, as a connected group of individuals in our society, and we’re going to continue to show love and unity.”
“As much as some people want us to just shut up and play football … sports and politics have always intersected.” Strong take from Rodgers pic.twitter.com/c4e1kEBD8R
— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) September 29, 2017
