Athletes should not kneel, sit, or do anything other than stand, face the flag, and hold their hand over their heart with pride.

They are lucky enough to be American.

Athletes have an obligation as American citizens to stand during the “Star Spangled Banner” to honor their freedom and the people who sacrifice their lives to protect the rights of citizens.

Some athletes, however, refuse to take part in this sacred tradition of our country. Refusing to take part in the National Anthem is disrespectful to our freedom and the 1.1 million people that protect our freedom.

This also brings politics to an activity that most people do to escape it.

My grandfather is a veteran, so I asked him what his view was of the NFL players kneeling. He responded that he will always stand for the National Anthem to honor the people that make America great. He believes in freedom of speech, but thinks it is disrespectful to use the flag and the anthem to make that point.

Kneeling is a disrespectful notion to the flag because they aren’t even acknowledging the people that let them thrive in the perfect bubble we live in. Without these people, the freedom we are have would be gone. Whenever I stand for the flag, I think about how crucial all of our veterans were to the success of our county.

Athletes that kneel claim that they are not disrespecting the flag. Many players have said that they are not disrespecting the flag, and that they are only kneeling to protest police brutality.

The freedom of our country is more important than police brutality. Without freedom, there would not even be any police to protect us. A better solution would be to take a short knee after the anthem is over. Therefore, players can still voice their opinion without disrespecting veterans.

While police brutality may be a problem in certain parts of the United States, it should not be protested against by kneeling for the flag. Just because some officers have made mistakes in the past, it does not mean you should disrespect them. When people are kneeling for the flag, they are being ignorant to a lot of people that dedicated their lives to protection of the public. In no way should any athlete or American ignore the people that put their lives on the line. You should acknowledge them by at least standing during the song they dedicated their lives too.

What about some of the wrongdoings the United States has done that I don’t want to stand for? Yes, when you are standing for the National Anthem you are standing for bad causes too. Sometimes our country makes mistakes, but everyone make mistakes. That is the great thing about this country, and it is why you should show some pride for it by standing during the National Anthem.

Another reason to stand for the anthem is that it is the one thing our nation does together. It is something that brings people together, even if they are the biggest enemies. We don’t have too many things left like that in America, so there is no reason to take it away.

So what other sports have this problem? None. There have been a few instances where this has happened in baseball, but not every game. In the NHL the players stand not only for our National Anthem, but also for Canada’s National Anthem when a Canadian team is present. Most of the players are from other countries too.

In the NHL, if you sit, you’d be doing the same thing for the whole game on the bench.

The same concept is present within the NBA as well. In fact, the NBA has had a rule in place since nearly the start of the league that states that all players have to stand on the sideline during the anthem. It is an old rule though, so there is uncertainty about whether the NBA will enforce it or not. We will have to wait until the season starts to see if any players will kneel.

So who am I mad at? The players of course; they are setting a bad example for children that look up to them, and use them as inspirations.

There is a group of people I get more annoyed with though, and that is that people who support them. There is absolutely no reason big enough to dishonor an American soldier that has died for our country… sorry, 1.1 million of them.