Super Bowl LLI was a sight for sore eyes for many; the Patriots and the notorious Tom Brady were defeated and every fan from every team could rally behind it. The commercials were sensational, the half-time show was entertaining and the snacks were great. As American football history often displays, victory riots broke out in Philadelphia.

Cars were overturned, light posts were torn down, fires were started. It looked like any other riot except the police stood by while frenzied Eagles fans drunk and sober destroyed the city of Philadelphia. Instead of rage and dismay from the American public, it was a celebration.

One could not say the same about Black Lives Matter protests, both peaceful and violent. America has a long history of social activism, from gay pride to the Civil Rights Movement. Each social movement has been met with extreme hatred and backlash, as if America doesn’t want to move forward unless it involves a heated a rivalry and a half-time show.

Minorities constantly risk their lives to put their identity in the forefront of America’s stage; they constantly fight to be seen as human in a society where a clear cookie cutter of an American is repeatedly pushed upon them. They peacefully protest the way they are treated in their own homeland only to be met with tear gas, police brutality and harsh criticism.

It is a complete insult to watch a mob of fans tear apart a city while the police stand by, celebrating. It is ridiculous to watch a group of white males turn over a car in the streets without being tackled, arrested and shot point blank.

It is terrifying to think that a football game is more important than the state of black lives in America.

But this isn’t new, right?

After Colin Kaepernick’s kneeling to protest the treatment of black lives, it has only been hatred and disgust. Football fans constantly refuse to understand the reason for the protest, instead calling it unpatriotic and disrespectful. Americans do not believe in equal rights for black people, instead choosing to glorify a violent game that will never directly benefit their daily lives.

Americans believe it is only acceptable to cause a riot when you are white, straight and belligerent on a random Sunday night in February.

These riots and the support of them exemplify what Kaepernick and others have been seeking to make known for almost two years. America does not want to give social equality to minorities. It does not want to create a better place for its citizens of color. It does not wish to change its view on the value of black lives.