NFL football field surrounded by political turmoil

Alejandro Cervantes, Sports Editor|October 24, 2017

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NFL players kneel during the National Anthem

After harsh criticism from President Trump calling for the punishment of players for kneeling during the National Anthem, NFL organizations decided to take a knee during the National Anthem for what they believe in.

When freshman Mark Roman was asked whether or not the NFL players kneeling during the National Anthem should be penalized, he said, “Yes they should be penalized, but their punishment should not be that harsh.”

It seems that America is split on the matter if it is free speech and if the players should not be punished, or if it is only the player’s responsibility to entertain us and not to be involved in politics. There is no right or wrong side to this issue. The only opinion that matters on this issue is your own.

When MCHS sophomore Emily Corona was asked if she agreed or disagreed with President Trump’s tweets about the NFL players kneeling during the National Anthem, she said, “Although President Trump has a point, I disagree because he shouldn’t limit them to their beliefs and how they feel. And although they are not paying respect to the flag, he shouldn’t approach them in such a hard way.”

After President Trump tweeted, it only just brought more attention to the issue and this led to full NFL organizations kneeling or not even coming out of the locker room during the National Anthem. The NFL organizations involved who protested the National Anthem were met with both approval and disapproval from the fans but that did not discourage them from kneeling  during the National Anthem for the remainder of the season.

When MCHS football coach Mr. Kaneko was asked if he agreed with NFL players kneeling during the National Anthem, he said, “No, because NFL players are paid to showcase their athleticism ability to entertain us, and therefore they should leave their political agendas at home and not push their agenda on us as fans.”