The controversial actions of NFL players kneeling during the national anthem lead into the NFL not showing the national anthem on live television. Players in the NFL kneeling during the anthem has not only angered and divided the fans, but the controversy has spread to college sports.
Colin Kaepernick used his stardom and the big platform of the NFL in 2016 and kneeled during the national anthem to bring awareness to police brutality, it started a very controversial conflict between the players and the fans.
Long Beach City College football players views on kneeling during the national anthem run the spectrum.
Milshon Lathan, a psychology major at LBCC and starting wide receiver believes that it is morally wrong that the NFL is trying to keep the players quiet.
“In a business aspect of the situation I think it was smart because it doesn’t divide the fans and the players by keeping article together,” Lathan said.
Chris Brown a business management major and tight end believes that it was a smart move on the NFL’s part “It’s a smart move by the NFL, because on the business side they’re trying to keep their viewers happy,” Brown said.
Brown believes that at the level of football he’s at taking a knee won’t make a big change, it will only cause diversity in the LBCC football program. “There isn’t the same amount of exposure like the PAC-12 or the NFL.”
There are football players at LBCC who disagree with kneeling during the national anthem as they feel that it is out of respect for the veterans who served their time in our military.
A kinesiology major, Chris Marcopoulos and center for offensive line believes that everyone should stand for the national anthem out of respect for the veterans who fought for the country.
“I think everyone should stand; but they do have the right to kneel,” Marcopoulos also added that the NFL not streaming the national anthem is good and bad. Good because their focus is more on football, but it is bad because it will just upset more people such as veterans and patriotic people.
The Athletic Director Randy Totorps had mixed thoughts on the NFL not showing the national anthem on TV as he said, “It’s a tricky situation with the NFL, because there are many opinions.”
According to Totorp there are no policies for the football players at LBCC not being able to take a knee during the national anthem.
“At the level of LBCC being at in football there has not been any players willing to take a knee during the national anthem because it’s not a big platform to get their voice heard,” said Totorp.