Jacksonville Jaguar players show their protest during the National Anthem during the NFL International Series match between Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium on September 24, 2017 in London, England.
#TakeaKnee Sunday as NFL Teams and Players Rebuff President Trump
"If peaceful protests did nothing, the powerful wouldn't try so hard to silence them."
This post will updated throughout the day... See below for pictures and dispatches from scheduled games...
| #TakeAKnee Tweets |
Sunday is game day for the National Football League and the hashtag #TakeaKnee is going viral as people across the nation see how players and teams respond to calls by President Donald Trump to punish players who do so.
For the earliest round of games that began at 1:00 pm (EST), dozens of players knelt while many teams chose to stand with arms locked together in a show of solidarity (see below).
Despite that the NFL has been a vocal (and official) sponsor of the U.S. military for years--acting mostly as a high-profile promoter and recruitment center for the Pentagon--a wave of protest initiated last year by players trying to draw attention to racism and police violence has swept the league into the political conversation this week after Trump, first at a rally on Friday night and then in a series of weekend tweets, called on team owners to fire or suspend players for voicing their views on social issues.
In the first game of the day, the Baltimore Ravens vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars, many players did take a knee during the National Anthem as others stood with arms locked in a show of solidarity. As journalist Shaun King noted, with "27 players and staff" from both teams participating in the protest took, it was the "most ever in one game."
As the ACLU of New York put it ahead of Sunday's scheduled games, "If peaceful protests did nothing, the powerful wouldn't try so hard to silence them."
With fourteen games scheduled for Sunday, it appears there will be plenty of action both off and on the field. Check back for updates:
8:30 PM GAME
Raiders vs. Redskins (8:30 pm):
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This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. In a few short weeks, US voters will have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. Our Fall Campaign is underway, and we need your help. To power our newsroom through the rest of the year, we need to raise $125,000 by midnight on October 31. So if you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
This post will updated throughout the day... See below for pictures and dispatches from scheduled games...
| #TakeAKnee Tweets |
Sunday is game day for the National Football League and the hashtag #TakeaKnee is going viral as people across the nation see how players and teams respond to calls by President Donald Trump to punish players who do so.
For the earliest round of games that began at 1:00 pm (EST), dozens of players knelt while many teams chose to stand with arms locked together in a show of solidarity (see below).
Despite that the NFL has been a vocal (and official) sponsor of the U.S. military for years--acting mostly as a high-profile promoter and recruitment center for the Pentagon--a wave of protest initiated last year by players trying to draw attention to racism and police violence has swept the league into the political conversation this week after Trump, first at a rally on Friday night and then in a series of weekend tweets, called on team owners to fire or suspend players for voicing their views on social issues.
In the first game of the day, the Baltimore Ravens vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars, many players did take a knee during the National Anthem as others stood with arms locked in a show of solidarity. As journalist Shaun King noted, with "27 players and staff" from both teams participating in the protest took, it was the "most ever in one game."
As the ACLU of New York put it ahead of Sunday's scheduled games, "If peaceful protests did nothing, the powerful wouldn't try so hard to silence them."
With fourteen games scheduled for Sunday, it appears there will be plenty of action both off and on the field. Check back for updates:
8:30 PM GAME
Raiders vs. Redskins (8:30 pm):
This post will updated throughout the day... See below for pictures and dispatches from scheduled games...
| #TakeAKnee Tweets |
Sunday is game day for the National Football League and the hashtag #TakeaKnee is going viral as people across the nation see how players and teams respond to calls by President Donald Trump to punish players who do so.
For the earliest round of games that began at 1:00 pm (EST), dozens of players knelt while many teams chose to stand with arms locked together in a show of solidarity (see below).
Despite that the NFL has been a vocal (and official) sponsor of the U.S. military for years--acting mostly as a high-profile promoter and recruitment center for the Pentagon--a wave of protest initiated last year by players trying to draw attention to racism and police violence has swept the league into the political conversation this week after Trump, first at a rally on Friday night and then in a series of weekend tweets, called on team owners to fire or suspend players for voicing their views on social issues.
In the first game of the day, the Baltimore Ravens vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars, many players did take a knee during the National Anthem as others stood with arms locked in a show of solidarity. As journalist Shaun King noted, with "27 players and staff" from both teams participating in the protest took, it was the "most ever in one game."
As the ACLU of New York put it ahead of Sunday's scheduled games, "If peaceful protests did nothing, the powerful wouldn't try so hard to silence them."
With fourteen games scheduled for Sunday, it appears there will be plenty of action both off and on the field. Check back for updates:
8:30 PM GAME
Raiders vs. Redskins (8:30 pm):