+
upworthy

national anthem

Let's start with the facts.

Last night, the U.S. women's soccer team played against Mexico's women's team at a game held in Hartford, Connecticut. Before the match, 98-year-old WWII veteran Pete DuPré played the national anthem on the harmonica. Some of the women on the team turned to face the American flag that was flying at the end of the field during the performance. Some of the women remained facing forward—toward Dupré, the same direction he was facing. All stood silently, some with their hands on their hearts, some with their hands clasped behind their backs.

Those are the facts. Nothing about any of those actions should have been controversial. And yet, we now have countless Americans rooting against the U.S. National Women's Team because they believe some players either turned their back on a veteran or turned their back on the flag.

The manufactured controversy came swift and hard from the "anti-wokeness" crowd, who boast huge followings on social media. I won't share the posts themselves as I don't think viral lies should get more traffic, but fact-checker Daniel Dale's screenshots offer a taste of the lies being pushed, including from the former Acting Director of U.S. National Intelligence.

Keep ReadingShow less

Responses to NFL protests during the national anthem have divided the nation and resulted in a dangerous reality for democracy.

The debate over kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racial injustice in the U.S. seems to have reached a new milestone, with the Philadelphia Eagles having their invitation to the White House revoked by Donald Trump.

Per tradition, the Super-Bowl-winning team was invited to meet with Trump, but much of the team backed out. In response, Trump issued this official statement on June 4, the day before the event:

Keep ReadingShow less

Sometimes the smallest actions can have the biggest impact.

All former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick did was sit down. He didn’t shout, he didn’t stomp, he didn’t set anything on fire — he simply didn’t stand up during the national anthem.

Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images.

Keep ReadingShow less

Shannon Sharpe does not mince words. And he has no patience for bullshit.

So if anyone was going to speak truth to power when it came to the displays of "unity" and "solidarity" across the NFL last weekend — following President Donald Trump's inflammatory comments suggesting players protesting during the national anthem should be fired — it would be him. Sharpe did not disappoint, delivering a fiery sermon from the desk of Fox Sports' "Undisputed," saying he was "disappointed and unimpressed."

For nearly eight minutes, an eternity in broadcast time, Sharpe raised the issue of the hypocrisy he saw on Sunday.

Hundreds of players kneeled during the anthem. Others stood but locked arms in a show of solidarity or unity. Former players, front office executives, and owners joined in too. A number of teams as well as the league itself released statements about free speech and unity. And while the public displays looked great on camera, Sharpe wanted to know the answer to an important question: What was everyone actually uniting against?  

Keep ReadingShow less