NFL: Fans split over US anthem protests

World
Europe

After two tours of duty in Iraq, Thai Nguyen says he takes it personally when he sees NFL stars protesting during the US national anthem.

"I served in the military for 10 years and I didn't fight for people to disrespect the flag," said Nguyen, a telecommunications manager from Murrieta, California.

As an African-American male who has experienced the terror of a gunpoint confrontation with law enforcement, Keystone Johnson has a different perspective. "I know how it feels to be pulled over because I am black," Johnson told AFP.

"I know how it feels to have thousands of guns pointed at you and have to lie down in the middle of the street and you haven't done nothing wrong but come out of your house."

Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters raises his fist in the air during the national anthem before an NFL football game. /AP Photo via CNN

The contrasting views of Nguyen and Johnson, fellow Philadelphia Eagles fans gathering ahead of their team's game against the Los Angeles Chargers Sunday, neatly reflect how the issue of protests during renditions of The Star Spangled Banner has divided America's most popular sport.

Scattered protests continued across the NFL on Sunday, a week after an unprecedented wave of demonstrations by players responding to a tirade by President Donald Trump. Trump created a firestorm of criticism when he described players who kneel during the anthem as "sons of bitches" who should be fired.

The protests began in 2016 when former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick refused to stand for the anthem to draw attention to racial injustice.

A recent poll by CBS News found 52 percent of Americans disapproved of athletes protesting during the anthem while 38 percent said they approved. That divide was on display amongst fans of the Eagles and the Chargers on Sunday as they partied in the parking lot outside the StubHub Center before kick-off.

NFL Photo

Some said the players are showing disrespect for the anthem, flag, and country and should come up with alternative ways to voice their concern about inequality and police brutality.

Others said taking a knee during The Star-Spangled Banner is a gesture of humility and not ire.

"We are all Americans and we are all proud to be American," said Chargers fan Phil Epling, who was "tailgating" in the stadium parking lot before the game with friends. "I don't like the fact they do the protest during the anthem because that flag represents all the people who have died in this country fighting for freedom."

"I don't mind them protesting but I do mind them protesting during the national anthem," said the 41-year-old San Diego caretaker.

Source(s): AFP