"Because he’s an NFL player, Kaepernick’s statement resonates in a distinct way. America’s most popular sports league is also its most visibly patriotic, a trait discernible in everything from pregame fighter-jet flyovers to field-sized flags to coaches’ instructions about the anthem during behind-the-scenes shows. It doesn’t require an extreme amount of cynicism or research to note that this is as much about industry acumen as love of country—the league has a brand, and the stars and stripes are a part of it—but like all branding, it works best when it is assumed as a matter of course. With his means of protest, then, Kaepernick is not only using his platform as an athlete to raise awareness about ongoing tragedies. He’s also, whether by design or not, questioning the NFL’s insistent but narrow definition of patriotism, shining a harsh light on its red-white-and-blue wallpaper...
The anthem is, in Boone’s presentation, a means of honoring America’s military—not the country’s ideological foundation or its cultural or political history—and so Kaepernick is offending the military. Contrast this understanding with, say, that of the national anthems played for the victors at the Olympics. American medalists tend to report on the experience of hearing the anthem played as a prideful and reminiscent one that brings up visions of parents, hometowns, and training partners and coaches along the way. It is celebratory, not supplicant, patriotism."
Ya,like...who is the anthem FOR? Is it for us as individual citizens, is it to boost support for the government, is it to remember and honor the members of our military? Why DO we play it at sports games, why do we ask our athletes to spend so much time representing themselves with it?
Questions...
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