Ever since Colin Kaepernick sat during the national anthem, there has been an ongoing debate of football players protesting during the national anthem prior to the start of a sports event. Some people have said they are disrespecting the flag. Others have said they have the first amendment behind them and therefore have the right to protest before the start of the football game.
Here’s the issue that hasn’t been discussed – should you protest while wearing your employer’s branded clothing? I’ve worked for companies that had a clause in their employment agreements that says if you are caught protesting or committing a crime while wearing company branded clothing or other products you can be fired. Why are there different standards for football players?
Shouldn’t this be the focus of the discussion? Shouldn’t the players understand that they can use their celebrity status to speak out and protest on their own time? Shouldn’t the players understand that the typical worker does not get paid for their protest time? Shouldn’t the players understand that typical employees could be fired for protesting in company attire? Athletes are not better than the rest of the employees. Let’s turn the debate of sports protest to the standards that the rest of the country are held to.
