Aug. 26, 2016, was going to be an average day for anyone in the United States who had any association with American football. The San Francisco 49ers had a preseason game against the Green Bay Packers.
Nothing was out of the ordinary until the 49ers’ quarterback Colin Kaepernick decided that he was not going to stand during the playing of the National Anthem.
Kaepernick stood by his decision, telling the Guardian, “I am not looking for approval. I have to stand up for people that are oppressed.”
Since then, a number of professional football players playing in the NFL have also knelt to protest police brutality and racial inequality.
Only a few weeks ago, an Albright College Division III football player had been dismissed from their football team because he kneeled for the playing of the National Anthem.
Cabrini athletes and coaches grasp why professional athletes are kneeling but would not personally kneel.
“I understand why athletes are kneeling during the playing of the National Anthem, but I think that I would still stand while it was played at one of my games,” Carolyn Alcantara, an outfielder for the Cabrini women’s softball team, said.
When the National Anthem is played, the Cabrini softball team stands together and holds hands.
“I personally like standing because I feel as if our team comes together as one, this being the main reason that I would not kneel for the playing of the National Anthem,” said Alcantara.
Diana VanSickle, a midfielder on Cabrini women’s soccer, would not kneel during the playing of the National Anthem before one of her games either. VanSickle stands during the playing of the National Anthem to thank those who have fought, those who are currently fighting and those who have died fighting for this country.
“I have had many friends and family members who have served and who are currently serving,” VanSickle said. “Although I am a strong believer in people fighting for what they believe in and an individual’s freedom of speech, I believe there are many other ways to express that they have a problem with what is going on in our country.”
VanSickle believes that the National Anthem is a moment where everyone can take the time to recognize the sacrifices people have made and to recognize how far we have come as a nation.
On the other hand, Cabrini men’s baseball player Mikayle Holloway says that he would, in fact, kneel during the playing of the National Anthem if a situation arose on campus that needed him to put forth an active protest.
However, Holloway does not want it to get to that point.
“I also feel as though politics should be left out of sports,” Holloway said. “In retrospect, I support all of the recent protests in the NFL as I understand why they are happening. I believe that the athletes are exercising their rights as United States citizens.”
Holloway’s teammate, second baseman Jesse James Murphy, had a slightly different take on the controversy.
Murphy states that he would never kneel for the National Anthem out of respect for our country.
“The things that people who have served [and] people who are serving sacrifice for us to live a free life is amazing to me,” Murphy said. “I would never disrespect the people that protect us, especially during a live event that multiple people are viewing.”
Murphy would say that he has the utmost respect for anyone who has had anything to do with his freedom, which is why he continues to stand for the national anthem.
Nicholas Weisheipl, Cabrini’s head baseball coach, sent a statement out to the players on his team when the controversy first came into play.
“If anyone on our team feels the need to bring the spotlight to systematic racism and inequality that exists in this country by peacefully protesting— taking a kneel or other non-aggressive action— during the national anthem, I will support them 100 percent,” Weisheipl said.
Coach Weisheipl believes that it is each player’s constitutional right to do so. As a coach, it is his duty to advocate for the well-being of his players and citizens in general.
“We traditionally lock arms for the anthem to demonstrate that we are united to work within our team concepts toward a common goal. It’s only coincidence that the locking of arms by teams has recently become a display of solidarity against injustice. Mother Cabrini advocated for those marginalized by society so it is even more important for our team to champion her efforts.”
Because we live in America, every citizen has the right to protest in whichever way they choose. And because we live in America, every citizen has the right to their own opinion on another’s protest,” Weisheipl said. “Everyone will have their opinions on the kneeling during the National Anthem controversy, but there will never be a solution.
“I look at the bigger picture and the sacrifices that were made to get us where we are today despite America’s flaws,” VanSickle said.
