Beginning in August 2016, some American athletes, most of whom are African Americans, have protested against systemic racism in the United States by kneeling on one knee while the U.S. national anthem is played. Beginning in 2017, many players also protested against President Donald Trump's criticisms of those involved in the protest, and some against Trump's policies during his first term in office. Some observers have praised the players' social awareness. The act itself has become widely referred to as "taking the knee" or "taking a knee". Backlash to athletes kneeling often includes heavy criticism of the athletes for being unpatriotic; internet backlash against the players has raised questions over their right to freedom of speech.
The protests began in the National Football League (NFL) after San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick sat and later knelt during the anthem, before his team's preseason games of 2016. Throughout the following seasons, members of various NFL and other sports teams have engaged in similar silent protests. On September 24, 2017, the NFL protests became more widespread when over 200 players sat or knelt in reaction to Trump's call for owners to "fire" the protesting players.
Coverage since 2021 indicates the kneeling protests largely subsided, with false reports about renewed kneeling debunked, while league social-justice displays continued via the Inspire Change program, end-zone slogans (including a Super Bowl LIX switch to “Choose Love”), and performances of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” widely considered the Black national anthem.
Background
It is a tradition in the United States to play "The Star-Spangled Banner", the national anthem, before sporting events. According to the United States Code, those present should stand at attention with right hand over heart. National Football League (NFL) players were not mandated to be on the field for the playing of the national anthem until 2009. In 2016 the NFL stated that "players are encouraged but not required to stand during the playing of the National Anthem"; its game operations manual reads that players "should stand" for the anthem.
Kaepernick and his 49ers teammate Eric Reid said they choose to kneel in San Diego during the anthem to call attention to the issues of racial inequality and police brutality. "After hours of careful consideration, and even a visit from Nate Boyer, a retired Green Beret and former NFL player, we came to the conclusion that we should kneel, rather than sit, ... during the anthem, as a peaceful protest," said Reid. "We chose to kneel because it's a respectful gesture. I remember thinking our posture was like a flag flown at half-mast to mark a tragedy." Some regard kneeling as disrespectful to those who have died or been wounded in service of the United States, such as police officers or military veterans. Torrey Smith, ex-wide receiver for the Carolina Panthers, had said in an interview: "I understand why people are offended by people protesting the National Anthem. My father served 25 years. When he dies, he's going to be wrapped in an American flag. But my dad is also out of the Army, and he drives trucks all over the country, and he's a black man everywhere he goes, and sometimes he has racial incidents still today. That doesn't protect him, just because he served our country. And I think that's important."
Kaepernick stated "I am not going to get up to show pride in a country that oppresses black people and people of color." Kaepernick has expressed his concerns about how his actions have been labeled as "anthem protest", since he considers this to be a diversion strategy from his critics to deviate the discussion from what really matters. "I am not protesting the anthem or the nation, I'm protesting organized brutality. To me, this is much bigger than football and it would be selfish to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."
Critics of kneeling players characterized the movement as unpatriotic and self-serving.
Kaepernick was not able to sign a contract with any NFL team even after he opted out of his contract with the 49ers and became a free agent in 2017, presumably because of his actions of taking a knee. Nevertheless, even though Kaepernick was no longer on the sideline, his movement did not stop but rather gained more participants.
Causes
Criminal justice reform is one of the top issues that NFL players have been supporting in their protests. Kaepernick was initially moved to protest by the deaths of African-Americans at the hands of police or while in police custody. These deaths gained prominence through the media and the Black Lives Matter movement in the years immediately preceding the protest. During a post-game interview on August 26, 2016, he stated, "I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder", adding that he would continue to protest during the anthem until he feels like "[the United States flag] represents what it's supposed to represent."
After that interview, Kaepernick pledged to donate the first $1 million of his $11.9 million salary from the 2016–2017 season to different organizations that help communities in need. He pledged to donate $100,000 per month for 10 months to various organizations. Days later, the San Francisco 49ers matched Kaepernick by pledging $1 million to two organizations addressing racial and social inequality. Kaepernick has been following through on his commitment and has donated $900,000 (~$1.16 million in 2025) as of September 2017 to groups including Meals on Wheels, United We Dream, Black Veterans for Social Justice and many others. Kaepernick has also held "Know Your Rights" camps for young people of color. The camps include legal education from attorneys that give advice on how to interact with police when being detained and lectures from prominent academics on the history of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. The National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) named Kaepernick the Week One MVP in September 2017 for his charity work related to the protest. Kaepernick also joined the 10 for 10 challenge, which basically consists of donating ten thousand dollars for ten consecutive days. Some major celebrities that matched Kaepernick's donations include basketball players Steph Curry and Kevin Durant, tennis player Serena Williams, singer Usher, and rappers Snoop Dogg and Meek Mill.
Trump calls for firing protesting players
In September 2017 at a rally in Huntsville, Alabama, President Trump said NFL owners should fire players who kneel during the national anthem and encouraged fans to walk out. Trump stated he would love to see NFL owners say, "get that son of a bitch off the field right now, out, he's fired. He's fired!" He called the players' protest "a total disrespect of our heritage". Trump added on that the new NFL safety rules created to protect players from concussions were ruining the game for the public. His statement came after a new research indicated that NFL players are at high risk for chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) due to the likelihood of multiple head injuries.
Trump said his criticism of the protesters was not related to race. "This has to do with respect for our country and respect for our flag," he said. In the games immediately following Trump's statements, the protest gained broader participation when over 200 players sat or knelt during the anthem, others linked arms with their teammates or raised fists, and three teams chose to stay in the locker room for the anthem. However, the response quickly turned into one towards Trump, rather than Kaepernick's original protests of racial injustice, which took away largely from Kaepernick's original message. Reasons cited by players, owners, and coaches included supporting freedom of speech and opposing what they considered intimidation by Trump. Others said they took offense to Trump demeaning the integrity of their primarily African American colleagues, when a month earlier he had hesitated to condemn the white nationalists who protested in Charlottesville, Virginia, and murdered a counter protester. The reaction to Trump's remarks were amidst other ongoing issues his administration was facing, including failed attempts at healthcare reform, the primary election loss of Trump-backed candidate Luther Strange for the Alabama seat in the U.S. Senate, recovery efforts for Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, Hurricane Irma in Florida, and Hurricane Harvey in Houston, and relations with North Korea over their nuclear and missile testing.
Many players beyond the 2017 season have knelt or raised fists in protest against Trump's policies. Other Republicans such as Florida senator Marco Rubio also expressed their discomforts against these policies as well. While Rubio's objections were not aimed directly at President Trump, he did support the rights of players of kneeling during the national anthem, especially Miami Dolphins player Kenny Stills. He tweeted, "No @NFL player does more community service than @KStills of the @MiamiDolphins. You don't have to agree with how or why he has chosen to exercise the 1st Amendment before every game to acknowledge the hours he gives voluntarily, on his day off, to serve his fellow Americans." Rubio has also expressed his feeling about Kaepernick, and while he publicly stated that he does not agree with what Kaepernick does (taking a knee during the national anthem), he does support his rights that allows him to do so and he believes that the NFL should not prohibit him from playing in the league again.
NFL protests
2016 preseason
Kaepernick began sitting during the national anthem at the start of the 2016 NFL preseason. His actions went unnoticed for two weeks before he was questioned by the media. In the 49ers' final 2016 preseason game on September 1, 2016, after talking to Boyer, Kaepernick opted to kneel during the U.S. national anthem rather than sit as he did in their previous games. He explained his decision to switch was an attempt to show more respect to former and current U.S. military members while still protesting during the anthem. Eric Reid joined Kaepernick in kneeling during the national anthem during the final preseason game. Seattle Seahawks player Jeremy Lane also did not stand for the anthem during his final preseason game the same day, stating, "It's something I plan to keep on doing until justice is being served."
2016 season
In Week 1, eleven NFL players joined Kaepernick's protests. Denver Broncos player Brandon Marshall knelt during the national anthem prior to the start of the Kickoff game, which was broadcast on NBC. The act of kneeling as protest has been referred to as "taking a knee". Kaepernick and Marshall were teammates at the University of Nevada.
Kaepernick and Marshall were by no means the first pro football players to be seen kneeling on the field. Beginning in 2011, the Denver Broncos' then-quarterback Tim Tebow was seen kneeling on the sidelines, as if in prayer, often enough to inspire the neologism "Tebowing". Tebow was awarded a trademark for that term in 2012. (Tebow's actions were not considered controversial at the time.)
On September 11, Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters raised his fist while the rest of the team interlocked their arms showing solidarity. Two members of the New England Patriots, Devin McCourty and Martellus Bennett, raised their fists on Sunday Night Football. The entire Seattle Seahawks team stood and interlocked arms. Jelani Jenkins, Arian Foster, Kenny Stills, and Michael Thomas of the Miami Dolphins all knelt during the National Anthem. At the same time, a group of Jacksonville Jaguars players, led by cornerback Prince Amukamara, initially planned to join the protest but chose not to do so after photographs of Kaepernick wearing socks with a crude anti-police message during training camp were made public.
On November 13, 2016, five days after Donald Trump was elected President, Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide-receiver Mike Evans decided to sit during the national anthem. According to Sports Illustrated, Evans said, "If this happens, then America's not right right now. I said this a long time ago. When he ran, I thought it was a joke, and the joke continues. I'm not a political person that much, but I got common sense. And I know when something's not right." However, his protest began the day following Veterans Day, so he received criticism. He quickly changed his method of protesting and joined his teammates during the following game against the Kansas City Chiefs. He apologized to veterans and other members of the military for his actions – citing that the timing of his protest was poor. "On the field, I'm going to continue to do what I do – play hard. I'm playing hard because I've got this right – freedom, because of the vets. I'm going to reach out to organizations, organizations that I feel are doing the best job to help the minority ... women, LGBT, African Americans, Latinos, people that are in fear of Donald Trump and his presidency."
2017 season
Cleveland Browns tight end Seth DeValve became the first white football player to kneel or sit during the anthem on the team's August 21, 2017, preseason game against the New York Giants.