Finally, we are The City of Champions and that sure does have a nice RING to it!!! *Hey... You see what i did there...* But... seriously 2016 has been a beautiful year for Cleveland in more ways than one.
We finally established a Dream Team among the Cleveland Cavaliers and came back from a 1-3 deficit against the Golden State Warriors and ended a 52 year curse. The identifiers every Clevelander knows that led to a few of our devastating misfortunes known as The Drive, The Shot, and The Slip has finally turned into The BLOCK and The SHOT.
*Just like a lot of Ohioans, I will never forget June 19th, 2016 for the rest of my life. We finally became Champions.*
But from that moment it kicked off the summer of New Beginnings for Ohio. Our Cleveland Indians are having a spectacular year and the season is not by any means over. With 11 Walk-Off game winning hits and a 14 GAME WINNING STREAK this summer, our Cleveland Indians have beenkilling it by being FIRST place in the AL Central Division. It's the first time since 2007, and it's obvious that the Indians have their eye on their own Championship Parade.
I could go on all day talking about the successes about my beloved professional Cleveland teams, but this article is surprisingly not all about that. This is a bigger issue that everyone has been addressing since Colin Kaepernick's silent protest sitting during the National Anthem that started August 14th, 2016, but it did not reach the public's attention until their third pre-season game. Most of us know his reasoning behind it, but in case someone has been living under a rock for the last couple of weeks here's a re-cap. He thinks that standing for our freedom and rights is wrong because our country is "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.”-Kaepernick states.
Since this protest came about other NFL professionals have followed suit, trying to make a statement that what's going on in our country is wrong.
My reason for this article is, although the Cleveland Browns are not very well known for their plays on and off the field, they are at least doing the right thing and standing during The National Anthem. *A tradition that has been around since The World Series circa 1918*. So, exactly what kind of statement are these "professional athlete's" trying to make by kneeling and sitting during The National Anthem? Because, sporting events are the only kind of unity we have left right now. Yes, they are able to exercise their right and that's fine. Yes, President Obama currently "support's" their decision to not stand for the only song that represents the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave... But, their decision to kneel is definitely bigger than football.
The certain problems in this country have nothing to do with their position on the football field, their character, or their selfish behavior. A truly successful person did not accomplish anything by sitting or kneeling to prove a point. If they want to make a change they need to bring people together! They need to promote awareness to the situation and not publicize a "silent" public protest.
I am just disappointed that professional athletes are seriously acting this way and influencing a group of not only adults but also children. I'd rather have my NFL team lose and stand with pride during The National Anthem. Rather than the classless athletes that win and sit during The National Anthem and then make it to the Super Bowl.
I just want everyone to stop and think for a second... What does The National Anthem mean to you? When I think about The National Anthem I think about Unity, Togetherness, Love, Freedom, and Bravery.
At least Cleveland will always have their pride and will always do the right thing no matter what. They didn't made an ESPN 30 for 30 documentary called "Believeland" for nothing, right? So, CLE, keep making me believe and keep making me proud.
