I have already written about my views regarding whether or not NFL players kneeling during the national anthem should be viewed as freedom of speech. What if the decision is made by the team rather than individual players? That is a different situation.
My primary concerns relating to the national anthem is whether or not people should be forced to make a statement that goes against their beliefs. When a team demands support of the national anthem, they are forcing athletes to make a statement unrelated to football. Similarly, demanding that players defy convention could also be viewed as forcing players to make a statement of which they may personally disapprove.
This is not just a concern with the NFL. The kneeling discussion has worked its way into the schools. We should be more sensitive to personal beliefs within the schools. Students are attending against their will, and they are not receiving any kind of compensation for playing. Of course, there is a difference between personal beliefs and conformity.
One example of an entire team kneeling was Garfield High School in Seattle. The coach defended the actions of his players by insisting that the decision was unanimous. The idea that all students came to the same conclusion was always suspicious, and there can be reasons that someone might agree to an idea that he doesn't like. When further explaining, the coach revealed that discussing why the national anthem is bad was part of his football program. It became clear that the players were led to their conclusion by their coach.
If any players disagreed, they would be less likely to stand up for themselves. Coaches, like teachers, can be viewed as authoritarian figures. Schools train their students to succumb to these types of authoritarian figures.
Ultimately, the entire Garfield team's actions reeked of child exploitation. Since I am looking at freedom of speech from an ethical perspective, there was no way that I could approve of these actions.
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