Thread:Comments:US National Football League to fine teams if athletes kneel during national anthem/Why is Colin Kaepernick still relevant?/reply (10)

They have been given the option to stay off the field during the anthem. As far as standing for a national anthem being a political statement in and of itself, I'm a little hesitant, especially as most of the kneelers insist they are in fact patriots. At international sporting events, it is common to stand for all the national anthems played, whether they be your own country's or those of an enemy. If you don't want to put your hand on your chest and sing the lyrics, the least you can do is stand. It's common courtesy, like shaking your opponents' hands, it's not an overt endorsement of everything that has to do with the country in question. Alternatively, one can also chat up the cheerleaders during the anthem, which I have heard Trump did at the Superbowl.