The Cleveland Browns had Twelve players take a knee for the national anthem. They have become part of the larger solution in professional sports where players are taking a stand for social justice. Players once said very little, and they did not feel as though they could make a statement in the style of Muhammad Ali. Ali was a Titan of social justice, and players have not done much on that level since he left boxing. LeBron James is speaking out against hate, and the Browns players are joining together knowing that kneeling for the National Anthem saw Colin Kaepernick practically kicked out of the league.
They are being quite brave, and they are taking a page from what the Seahawks already did.
Kneeling is now a spectacle
Kneeling for the national anthem is now a spectacle in sports that it should not be. Certain people have been sitting for the national anthem for some time, and they have not been impugned as unpatriotic or lacking character. Colin Kaepernick put his money where his mouth is, and now the NFL is being taken over by this wave of social justice speech. There will be more stories of players taking a knee or sitting down, and it will continue to be a story until this country makes some progress in the right direction. The NFL has players that are involved in normal lives, and they must speak out.
We cannot stick to sports
Sticking to sports is a hard thing to do when all the men of the NFL have families. They have children and spouses. They have people back home who count on them, and they live in communities where they would be treated like anyone else. The black players of the league know that being in the NFL does not prevent them from feeling the sting of racism, and they must use the platform they have to speak out.
The Browns are not the only team with players who want to do something about this, but they are the team that has done the most with the platform that they have during the anthem.
The NFL could be a protest
The NFL could take on a long protest that will last for some time if other teams take the example that has been given by the Browns.
This team has seen twelve people take a knee, and the next team could have half the team or more take a knee. It will be an interesting day when the whole of the NFL takes a knee all on the same day, and that will send a message that we shall not soon forget. We are making progress, and it is important to applaud the Browns because they have made the biggest statement so far.
