NFL National Anthem Protests

National Anthem Protests have gone on in the National Football League ever since the 2016 NFL season. The movement began with Colin Kaepernick (who was then a member of the San Francisco 49ers) protesting police brutality on African American citizens. Kaepernick protested the playing of the National Anthem by kneeling on one knee instead of standing.

This movement was not fully popularized until the 2017 NFL season, when teams (instead of just individual players) knelt. Some teams have protested in other ways, such as standing but locking arms in solidarity instead of the right hand over the heart. During Week 3 of the season, During a rally in Alabama, President Donald Trump stated that anybody who protests the Anthem "should be fired" and thought it would be great if the NFL owners would say "Get that son of a bitch off the field right now" (Link ) (Link ). In the Week 3 game against the Seattle Seahawks and Tennessee Titans, both teams stayed in the locker room during the National Anthem (Link ). Many NFL fans and spectators have counter-protested the NFL players' protests by refusing to watch games on TV or refusing to attend them.

How to Solve This
Some people have suggested that all cops have body cameras to ensure no brutality is taking place, although this probably won't happen anytime soon. Because of this, there really is no correct answer to combat this problem.

One possibility is to stop playing the National Anthem at every single football game. The problem with this is that the Conservatives (and even some Liberals) will demand the anthem be played or they will stop attending games.

Another possibility is to go with Trump's demands: fire all protesters. The problem with this is that many of the best players in the NFL have knelt at least once, and the NFL would fall even more in ratings.