On September 22nd, President Trump was live on television in what seems to be a quick interview on his stance regarding NFL players who kneeled during the National Anthem. Continuing into the weekend, the president continued his criticisms on these players. On the afternoon of September 23rd, President Trump has created lots of tension and controversy over NFL players and how they choose to respect our country. It was mid afternoon when this all started when he decided to post a tweet in regards to NFL players. The tweet goes as follows:

“If a player wants the privilege of making millions of dollars in the NFL, or other leagues, he or she should not be allowed to disrespect our Great American Flag (or Country) and should stand for the National Anthem. If not, YOU’RE FIRED. Find something else to do!” President Trump posted.

This was posted on Twitter the morning of September 24th. On the same day, the Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars had their game to play in London. In protest to the president’s statement, both teams either locked arms with each other or kneeled during the National Anthem. Since then, debate and controversy has erupted from regular people to other big figures such as Lebron James. Despite the backlash the president has been receiving, he still has some supporters and continues to tweet out his personal opinions on the matter.

“The issue of kneeling has nothing to do with race. It is about respect for our Country, Flag and National Anthem. NFL must respect this!” tweeted President Trump.

As the days have gone by, teams from other NFL games have shown their personal statements as well, whether it be kneeling, locking arms or staying inside for the National Anthem. While many of these players are protesting together, some people outside of the NFL have specifically targeted the president through methods such as statements made in tweets or interviews. Stephen Curry of the NBA said this during an interview.

“I don’t know why he feels the need to target certain individuals, rather than others. I have an idea of why, but it’s kind of beneath a leader of a country to go that route. That’s not what leaders do.”

Teams of the NFL and others are still continuing to show their protest. The main issue with these protests is the message that is being portrayed. It isn’t about the flag and choosing to disrespect it, rather it is peacefully choosing not to stand during the National Anthem because players feel it does not convey the message of freedom and equality right now. Which side do you take?