Athletes and Artists Rally Against Trump and Republicans

“Wouldn’t you love to see these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say get that son of a ***** off the field right now, out. He’s fired. He’s fired.” These words came from an infuriated Donald Trump, during a rally in Alabama. But why would a president make such uncivilized comments on national television? Original video

It all started in the NFL preseason in 2016, when San Francisco 49ers pro bowler (all-star) quarterback Colin Kaepernick sat down during the national anthem instead of standing, as players traditionally do. In the final day of the preseason after a conversation with a retired soldier and former NFL player Nate Boyer, Kaepernick decided that kneeling during the national anthem was a better way of protesting because it would show respect towards U.S. military members. In the first week of the regular season, a few players took their knees during the national anthem supporting Kaepernick. Initially, the aim of the protest was to stop police brutality and racial inequality towards black people. Kaepernick did not do well in the 2016 season. He only had 1 win and was responsible for 10 losses. It’s November 2017, and Kaepernick still isn’t signed by any NFL team because nobody dares to sign such a controversial character. The refusal to stand and actively participate during the anthem quickly brought mixed responses towards Kaepernick’s actions, triggering President Trump’s vehement response, and making conservative Republicans like Tomi Lahren particularly mad (video link). Ironically, in August 2017, Trump defended a Neo-Nazi march in Virginia, stating that there were some “very fine people on both sides.” Legendary sports announcer Vin Scully stated that he will not watch the NFL anymore due to the kneeling.

Trump’s comments on kneeling NFL players absolutely infuriated football players, in addition to a few celebrities joining the protest. During the third week, 2 days after Trump’s speech, over 200 players participated in the protest by kneeling or sitting out during the anthem. Also worth mentioning, some owners, who Donald Trump called “friends”, stepped on the field and linked arms with the players. Players in the Seattle Seahawks and the Tennessee Titans even stayed in the locker room. The players in the Seahawks released a statement saying, “We will not stand for the injustice that has plagued people of color in this country. Out of love for our country and in honor of the sacrifices made on our behalf, we unite to oppose those that would deny our most basic freedoms.”

In this time period, other activists commented on Trump or protested. This includes ESPN sports commentator Jemele Hill, who used Twitter as the platform to unleash on Trump:

Donald Trump is a white supremacist who has largely surrounded himself w/ other white supremacists.

— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) September 11, 2017

She was largely criticized, with ESPN suspending her, and Trump also fired back at her via Twitter:

With Jemele Hill at the mike, it is no wonder ESPN ratings have "tanked," in fact, tanked so badly it is the talk of the industry!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 10, 2017

Blind artist Stevie Wonder also took a knee at the Global Citizen Festival with reference to Kaepernick. He passionately spoke, “It is only through life we can make life happen through ourselves and each other. Our global brothers and sisters, I didn’t come here to preach, but I’m telling you, our spirits must be in the right place all the time.” Controversy surrounded the action. Former Illinois politician Joe Walsh tweeted the following:

Stevie Wonder takes a knee for the Anthem during a concert.

Another ungrateful black multi millionaire. https://t.co/bpvuGJXLd7

— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) September 24, 2017

On his show, comedian Trevor Noah questioned, “Ungrateful? To whom?… He would be ungrateful if he recovered his sight and complained about colours.” Noah also gave his opinion for the protesting NFL players and responded to speakers and politicians defending Trump such as Steve Mnuchin and Sarah Saunders. Noah concluded with a genius Dr. Seuss-style line to express his helplessness towards protesting black people, “It’s wrong to do it on the streets, it’s wrong to do it in the tweets; you cannot do it on the field, you cannot do it if you’ve kneeled, and don’t do it if you’re rich, you ungrateful son of a pitch, because there’s one thing that’s a fact, you cannot protest if you’re black.” (video link)

This not only occurred in football, but also in basketball. Some basketball athletes also spoke out about President Trump. It all started when President Trump invited the 2017 NBA champions, the Golden State Warriors, to the White House. The invitation got refused by NBA star Stephen Curry and President Trump sent another tweet. Curry made a video explaining how Trump is full of himself. (Curry’s response video) After the tweet got around the internet, other NBA stars such as Lebron James, Draymond Green, Chris Paul and Kobe Bryant started bashing him for his thoughtless comments. Commissioner Adam Silver did not give in to public pressure, instead, he supported the players by labeling them as active citizens.

Here is a portion of tweets surrounding the beef:

https://twitter.com/Money23Green/status/911635369661104129

Robin Lopez picks on Trump by indicating how Trump will probably be soon removed from his presidency.

Very recently, the GQ magazine released an edition that featured Colin Kaepernick on the cover, captioned “Citizen of the Year”. The magazine recognized Kaepernick as a man who became a movement. It also compared him to other courageous athletes who risked everything by protesting such as Muhammed Ali and Jackie Robinson. Despite being vilified and unemployed, Kaepernick will not be silenced, and he will continue on his journey of protesting against police brutality.

If you are interested in knowing this man better or seek complete coverage and more opinions exclusively from GQ editors, please visit this site.

This article is by Robbie Yan Bo He and David Hou Ning Song