I need to disagree with you on this because I am a veteran and from 4 generation of military family. In addition, many of the military veterans that I know and friends with...they also will disagree with you.
Sure there's other alternative methods but they've been used and ignored. Regardless, others are in fact using other alternative methods of building awareness about inequality even without protesting. Yet, keep in mind, these are
teenage girls whom most likely do not have access nor require to have access to alternative methods.
Also, the legality of the issue outweighs the traditions, behavior of National Anthems at sporting events nor does it merit having
racial slurs hurled at them when they know for fact that their country does not support them...yet they do know the courts are on their side.
I posted a message post last year about
why / when the National Anthem became a "tradition" at sporting events...specifically started at baseball games.
National Anthem (The Star-Spangle Banner) is a song (a poem called The Defence of Fort M’Henry) about a battle in the War of 1812. The first documented time that it was played at an American sporting event came at a baseball game in 1862, during the Civil War. The tradition of playing it at sports events got a dramatic boost at the 1918 World Series, during World War I.
Simply, there are
strong valid reasons why people of color will have issues with the National Anthem.
Ironically, sporting events in the South were intentionally
slow to adopt the National Anthem being played at sporting events...there were incidents of some southerners "turning their back" on the United States Flag as a form of protest during the singing of The Star-Spangle Banner.
To prevent the controversy, I do remember in high school in the 80's...the National Anthem was no longer being played at sport events (Kentucky, South Dakota, Illinois) and at some University sport events. Today, some professional sport teams no longer play the National Anthem (e.g. Dallas Mavericks Professional Basketball Team at their home games)
By the way, for what its worth, a few of the girls on the team has
veterans as parents.
- Here's my perspective via starting with a quote (legal statement)...
Since 1998, federal law (viz., the United States Code 36 U.S.C. § 301) states that during a rendition of the national anthem, when the flag is displayed, all present including those in uniform should stand at attention; non-military service individuals should face the flag with the right hand over the heart; members of the Armed Forces and veterans who are present and not in uniform may render the military salute; military service persons not in uniform should remove their headdress with their right hand and hold the headdress at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart; and members of the Armed Forces and veterans who are in uniform should give the military salute at the first note of the anthem and maintain that position until the last note.
The law further provides that when the flag is not displayed, all present should face toward the music and act in the same manner they would if the flag were displayed. Military law requires all vehicles on the installation to stop when the song is played and all individuals outside to stand at attention and face the direction of the music and either salute, in uniform, or place the right hand over the heart, if out of uniform. The law was amended in 2008, and since allows military veterans to salute out of uniform, as well.[73][74]
The text of 36 U.S.C. § 301 is suggestive and not regulatory in nature. Failure to follow the suggestions is not a violation of the law.
For example, Jehovah's Witnesses do not sing the national anthem, though they are taught that standing is an "ethical decision" that individual believers must make based on their conscience.
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I am a former officer in the United States Armed Forces...seeing people express their First Amendment right via kneeling
doesn't bother me nor anyone in my family of a 4 generation military family that has fought in all the United States wars / conflicts since the early 1900's.
Just the same, it doesn't bother me when I see countless more individuals in the stands at sporting events
not with their right hand over their heart during the National Anthem and others sitting down because they don't care to stand but not in protest.
- I understand the actual reason / original reason for kneeling...people of all race in America are kneeling to protest racial inequality and the oppression of people of color in America.
My father (an Army Officer and Indigenous) answer my question when I was a kid about why are people burning the flag in protest of the Vietnam war while visiting grandma in South Dakota.
The first sentence in his explanation was that he does not like it but if the flag is privately owned...its their First Amendment right to do whatever they want with the flag in support
or protest. He stated this to me when I was a kid many years early before the Supreme Court decided in 1989 that
flag burning is considered a type of protected free speech under the First Amendment.
The act is considered offensive by many, but
flag burning is legal in the U.S. under Supreme Court rulings that it is constitutionally protected speech under the First Amendment.
We moved around a lot and I saw burning the U.S. flag while attending schools for kids of Military personnel in the United States and abroad in other countries. Just the same, I have always been proud to stand up, with my right hand over my heart to
sing loudly the National Anthem (The Star-Spangle Banner).
- My family think flag burning is disrespectful but we understand its protected under the First Amendment. The issue with flag burning is because we saw people do it in anger and during violent protesting.
I brought flag burning into this discussion because its a form of protest that has been used in violent protesting to contrast kneeling because kneeling is a non-violent form of protest to bring awareness. The context, the high school basketball game was
not a form of violent protest and the girls kneeling is exercising their First Amendment although many consider it
in error to be disrespectful to the United States Armed Forces.
In the eyes of state courts...kneeling is
not disrespectful nor consider as
"fighting words". In contrast, racial slurs is consider in state courts in the state of Oklahoma to be fighting words, racial epithets, ethnic slurs...most businesses will fire an employee for such in Oklahoma and just about every other state of the United States.
- That announcer, the state high school association has already stated in the article on ESPN that he (his business) will no longer be used for the remainder of the state tournament. Simply, he has in fact been fired.
The question now...will the families of the girls that the racial slurs were aimed at...will they litigate the issue (file a lawsuit) against the announcer and his business. Personally, I hope they do litigate the issue considering the context of the specific situation especially the fact that he did not aim his racial slurs at the other White players for kneeling nor did he make any derogatory comments towards the other White players for kneeling beyond saying he hopes the team losses the game.
There are other sports announcement businesses in Oklahoma looking for work / contracts with sports associations. That sports announcer should not be one of them and has already lost his contract with the state high school association.
With all that said, hurling racial slurs because he can't control his emotions at teenage girls is just bullshit. That idiot sports announcer should lose the remainder of his contract with the OHSAA. Oh wait, he did lose the contract.
wrbtrader