Since Week 4 of the NFL preseason, the San Francisco 49ers' backup quarterback Colin Kaepernick and teammate Eric Reid have taken a knee during the national anthem. Kaepernick started the protest to bring attention to injustice towards African Americans and minorities including police brutality. Since then, several other NFL players including Michael Thomas, Kenny Stills and Arian Foster of the Miami Dolphins have joined the protest. Megan Rapinoe, a professional soccer player who plays for the Seattle Reign FC, has done so as well. "Being a gay American, I know what it means to look at the flag and not have it protect all your liberties. It was something small I could do and something that I plan on to keep doing in the future and spark some meaningful conversation around it. It's important to have white people stand in support of color in this. We don't need to have the leading voice, of course, but standing in support of them is something really powerful," Rapinoe said after first kneeling at a game against the Chicago Red Stars on September 4. Brandon Marshall, a linebacker for the Broncos, has also taken a knee during the anthem. "I'm not against the military, I'm not against the police or America. I'm just against social injustice," Marshall said. He also continues to protest the anthem, however, is also donating an undisclosed amount of money to a veterans charity.

Along with the growth of the protest, however, it inevitably earned Kaepernick a lot of negative feedback. Some found the protest disrespectful and felt that it was a slap in the face to the military and those that fight to protect the United States. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump commented, "I have followed it and I think it's personally not a good thing, I think it's a terrible thing. And maybe he should find a country that works better for him, let him try. It won't happen." This came after Kaepernick had called out Trump as well as Hillary Clinton for their previous shortcomings in improving racial relations. President Barack Obama had previously been booed at a game while a video speech was presented of him reassuring their right by the First Amendment to protest.

Trump, like many others, used that classic "if you don't like it, leave" response to the protest. Kaepernick was portrayed as spoiled and unappreciative of his football career. ESPN's Trent Dilfer seemed to agree, saying that his protest was getting in the way of football and that he should "stay quiet" because that's his job as a backup quarterback, feeding into the "shut up and play football" attitude that is expected of African American football players. Cardale Jones, who played football at Ohio State and is now a quarterback for the Buffalo Bills had previously tweeted in light of the #BlackLivesMatter movement, "...You tell me that #AllLivesMatter well I say how do you define 'All'?" A twitter user had responded to the tweet and said, "worry about getting us fans another championship...stay out of this bullshit. #Go Bucks." Jones responded, "Sorry Mr master, I aints allow to tweet nothing but foolsball stuff I donts want you to think I more than a foots ball playa sir."

Unfortunately for these professional athletes protesting and attempting to bring light to the situation at hand by using their platform in the NFL and other USA leagues, it is confused for ungratefulness. Instead of recognizing the racial injustices that undeniably exist, we are more comfortable with just accepting things the way they are because it works for some people and if you think twice about it, you should just leave. However, throughout all of history, Americans have questioned the status quo. It's in our identity to challenge what has just always been accepted as right. What Kaepernick is doing does draw attention, obviously both constructive and negative. Yet he's drawing attention. He started a conversation to show the public that we do not yet live in a country that's good enough for him to just shut up and play football. To say that the United States truly reflects what the flag and the national anthem portrays for every person in the country is inaccurate. There is racial tension. There is question in the treatment of African Americans and minorities in certain cases with the police. Racism is still alive and well. These are conversations that needed to be had.