Kneeling NFL Players

Posted on by ctian

Today’s political climate is hectic to say the least. With the NFL under criticism from the public masses, many athletes are using their positions as players on the field to make a political statement. They have been doing this by kneeling during the national anthem to protest inequality, especially towards African-Americans. Many would say that these men are being disrespectful towards the U.S. flag and even Donald J. Trump, the president, was able to get in a word on his views of these protesting players.

Despite all this backlash, many players and even the director of the NFL himself have publicly supported the players kneeling during the national anthem. Many people would consider these players heroes for taking a stand despite the public backlash. But are these players really heroes?

In my view, these players are heroes, especially due to the intense political climate. While many would say these players are not heroes because taking a knee isn’t taking much action, I would say that taking a knee is enough. In 1968, African-American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos made their mark in history when they raised a single black gloved fist during the anthem when they stood on the victory podium of the 1968 Summer Olympics.

I find that the current NFL players are just like these two African-Americans because while they do not do much, the simple actions raise immense awareness because of their spotlight. The US is a place of many diverse views and too often are these views drowned out with so much news coming out every day but the NFL is one of the places where millions of Americans will consistently come back to as it is has almost become a part of the American cultures. It is courageous for these players to use the spotlight they are put under to raise awareness for an issue even when their own home stadium may boo at their actions.

Weekly Response 1

Posted on by ctian

Allison and Goethal explore the idea of who is a hero and what it means to be one in, “Heroes Who Are They and What Do They Do.” Heroes aren’t always the ones that save thousands of lives or achieve amazing accomplishments throughout their lives but rather could just be the ones in our daily lives. Allison and Goethal explain that in today’s society, we view heroes as the ones that go through a special type of journey whether it be them taking on a quest to do something great or simply go through many challenges only to realize their self-destiny.

They first introduce with the story of Irena Sendler, an amazing lady who worked hard to save many Jews from the horrors of the Nazi death camps during the Holocaust. While she saved thousands of children, men and women and enduring extreme torture, she never considered her own actions to be heroic.

Irena went for years without recognition and when she finally did start receiving attention, she simply stated her actions were just normal and heroes did extraordinary things. However Sendler is considered one of most valiant heroes from the WW2 era for her work despite what she says. This shows the readers that to be a hero doesn’t mean being one for the fame or recognition but rather because a hero is willing to take action for the things they care about. For Sendler, this was making sure the Jews in her community were treated well and were able to escape the horrors of the death camps.