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Entity explains that in the NFL, the national anthem is a deeply respected tradition.

Football has long been hailed as America’s most important sport. Aside from the millions of devoted fans, the evenings spent watching Monday Night Football and the six-packs, football is a game of teamwork and unity. It is a game that over 60 percent of Americans watch, making it the most followed sport in the nation.

As a fan explains to NPR, “If football goes away … My family, we don’t go to church. We’re not much for theater or concerts. Football is our way of being part of something bigger. I have to admit I’d be lonely.”

Shana Renee Stephenson, editor in chief of All Sports Everything, even tells MSNBC, “The majority of Americans agree that football is America’s game. No matter your race, class, gender or sexual orientation, football is the great equalizer and unifier. And for some, even a religion.”

With this “religion” comes highly respected traditions, such as playing the national anthem at the start of the sporting event. ESPN explains, “Our nation honors war. Our nation loves sports. Our nation glorifies winning. Our national anthem strikes all three chords at the same time.”

After America entered World War I, the effects of the war strained the nation’s emotional atmosphere, the economy and the workforce, including Major League Baseball. And after September 4, 1918, when a bomb tore through the Chicago Federal Building and killed four people and injured 30, “the glum crowd in the stands for Game 1 remained nearly silent.” However, when “The Star-Spangled Banner” played during the seventh-inning stretch of the game between the Cubs and Red Sox, “the crowd, already standing, showed its first real signs of life all day, joining in a spontaneous sing-along, haltingly at first, then with finishing flare,” says ESPN.

Noting the astounding crowd reaction, the Cubs decided to play the national anthem for the next two games during the seventh-inning stretch. Then, the Red Sox decided to move the anthem from the seventh-inning stretch to pregame festivities. The song continued to be played at baseball games for the remainder of the season. According to Matt Soniak from Mental Floss, “During World War II, baseball games again became venues for large-scale displays of patriotism.” Eventually, the pregame singing of “The Star-Spangled Banner” had “become cemented as a baseball ritual, after which it spread to other sports,” says Soniak.

So because singing the national anthem before a sporting event is rooted in wartime patriotism, when San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick chose to sit for the national anthem, it sparked a great deal of controversy. Kaepernick tells NFL Media, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way.”

Many critics, however, argued that Kaepernick’s method of protesting was disrespectful. In an op-ed article by Cameron De Boer of The Los Angeles Loyolan, he writes, “While I respect every person’s right to protest, Kaepernick’s method is unacceptable. Too many people have fought and died to make this country free and beautiful, and it is because of those servicemen and women that Colin Kaepernick is allowed to make $19 million a year … if you are not willing to honor a country that has given you so much opportunity, maybe you shouldn’t be playing football.”

NBC News shares similar comments, such as supermodel Kate Upton’s remark about how the NFL player protests are “horrific.” She writes in an Instagram post, “Sitting or kneeling down during the national anthem is a disgrace to those people who have served and currently serve our country … Protest all you want and use social media all you want. However, during the nearly two minutes when that song is playing, I believe everyone should put their hands on their heart and be proud of our country for we are all truly blessed.”

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump even added to the comments by arguing, “I think it’s a lack of respect for our country. I think it’s a lack of appreciation for our country and it’s a very sad thing. I’ve never seen anything quite like it actually.”

But despite these criticisms, Kaepernick stands by his decision and says that his decision to sit is “not something that [he] is going to run by anybody.” According to him, “I am not looking for approval. I have to stand up for people that are oppressed … If they take football away, my endorsements from me, I know that I stood up for what is right.”

And to show his devotion to these principles, Kaepernick chose to kneel in San Diego, before his game on September 11th, the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. According to The Guardian, Kaepernick chose to kneel in order to show respect for the US military “while still making his protest.”

Many other teams across the nation followed suit. According to The Washington Post, the Chiefs interlocked their arms during the national anthem in Kansas City, while cornerback Marcus Peters raised his fist. In Glendale, Arizona, the Patriots’ Devin McCourty and Martellus Bennett held up their fists as well. In Seattle, Miami Dolphins players, including Arian Foster and Michael Thomas, got on one knee while the Seattle Seahawks members interlocked their arms.

On a Twitter post by Seahawk wide receiver Doug Baldwin Jr., he shares a video that says, “We are a team comprised of individuals with diverse backgrounds. And as a team, we have chosen to stand and interlock arms in unity. We honor those who have fought for the freedom we cherish, and we stand to ensure the riches of freedom and the security of justice for all people. Progress can and will be made only if we stand together.”

In addition, Arian Foster defends his team’s decision to kneel by comparing kneeling during the pregame ceremony to kneeling during church. While critics argue that the Dolphins’ actions were disrespectful, Foster says to CBS Sports, “If it’s about a knee that people are upset about, every Sunday, people of faith take a knee to give thanks to their Lord and Savior, whatever faith or whatever religion they are.”

“It’s not about the knee, it’s not about the symbolism, it’s about the message,” Foster adds. “It never dawned on me to make a statement like that. That’s why I felt like what Colin [Kaepernick] did – I agree with him and I understand 100 percent what he’s doing. Rather than sparring with anybody publicly about which way was the right way and which way was the wrong way, I took my ego out of it and said ‘This conversation has started once again.’ I feel like I had a responsibility to keep it going, because it’s [a] healthy conversation.”

In response to these events, the NFL released a statement saying, “Players are encouraged but not required to stand during the playing of the national anthem.”

While standing is an accepted sign of respect for tradition, the military and the lives that have been lost in the fight for American freedom, these protests are a sign of what football has created for the nation: unity. NFL Network analyst Michael Robinson says, “[The Seahawks] want to be specific that this is a sign of unity … I talked to coach [Pete Carroll] about [how] maybe this issue is a little bit bigger than football.”

“Carroll said something really interesting to me last night,” Robinson continues. “[Carroll] said, ‘Mike, somebody has to do this in our lifetime, it just has to be done. We’re not a perfect nation, our players are our role models whether they want to be or not and some things are just bigger than the game of football.”

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