When the NFL announced it will hereafter force players to stand for the national anthem, it was clear the league was attempting to salvage its damaged public image in the wake of the players’ refusal to show respect to the country. By choosing to make standing for the anthem a matter of coercion rather than a voluntary act of patriotism, it (quite wrongly) suggests that NFL executives and the kneeling movement’s many malcontents in the country are unable to provide a coherent reason why America is worth honoring in spite of its flaws. Worse, it furthers the very narrative that drives protests like Kaepernick: The established authorities are afraid of the message they bear, and it is the established authorities’ ill-reception of this message that perpetuates the “systemic racism” that threatens the lives of black men in America.
The anthem-kneeling protest began, of course, with Colin Kaepernick. A self-styled disciple of Malcolm X, he has offered bumbling praise for the murderous Fidel Castro and worn socks depicting police officers as pigs. Kaepernick’s anthem-kneeling was meant to highlight his perception of American law enforcement as systemically lethal in their handling of black suspects. Putting aside the statistical realities for a moment, Kaepernick’s central contention was that he is “not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.” And while there are plenty of well-meaning and sincere players who have taken action on related issues, the radical flavor of the movement’s claims is unmistakable. It’s worth acknowledging that modern aggrievement politics are fueled, in large measure, by the appearance of aggrievement. And the NFL just gave the kneelers ammo.
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