By Brittany Snow

Staff Writer

  It has been a little over a year since Colin Kaepernick, former quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers, decided to protest against police brutality and social breach by kneeling during the national anthem, marking the act as the first known protest in the professional athletic field. His protest spurred further movements from other members in the sports industry but complaints from those who believed it to be a form of disrespect to the country.

  Support came from the victims he stood up for and also his teammates on and off the field as well as those not in the National Football League.

  Megan Rapinoe, who plays for Seattle Reign FC in the National Women’s Soccer League, was found kneeling during the anthem. She later stated because she is a member of the gay community, she knows that freedom is not free. Her kneeling came to a sudden end in late October of 2016 because of a regulation passed by the league saying that all players were required to stand during the anthem and show their respect to the flag as well as the country.

  In a professional football game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Tennessee Titans, both teams decided to stay in the locker rooms while Meghan Linsey sang the national anthem.

  Players in the National Basketball Association (NBA) wanted to show their appreciation to the cause. However, a statement released by Adam Silver, the commissioner of the NBA, stated that if any player was caught kneeling during the anthem, they would be benched and could even be fired if they refused to cooperate.

  Therefore, the players found their own ways to join the cause. During the anthem, players can be seen linking arms to show that they are united as one and stand together as one.

  The NFL later adopted the act after a message was sent out by the president of the NFL implying that players who kneel will be removed from the team.

  The Indianapolis Colts released a statement saying that they will kneel together until there is a change. In an attempt to stop the protests, FOX Sports announced they will no longer show footage of the anthem during Sunday NFL games.

  This form of protest resulted in Donald Trump releasing a statement saying that everyone should boycott the NFL if players are seen kneeling during the anthem. Initially, 180 players kneeled during the anthem, but Trump’s tweet plummeted the number of players kneeling to eleven players.

  Between kneeling, linking arms, and avoiding the national anthem in general, the protests have been a sign of unity and teams coming together in hopes of change. They want to make sure that their message has come across to those watching in hopes that they will one day soon see a change, regardless of the negative backlash that comes with it.