Should They Be Kneeling?

Another NFL season is upon us and it seems that some players seem determined to kneel during the National Anthem. The NFL tried to craft a solution to the controversy that would have fined the team of any players who kneeled on the field (the team could then pass fine on to the player). Players who did not want to stand for the anthem could stay in the locker room. The NFL backed down when the player's union (NFLPA) complained. As a result, no official policy is in place as the season begin.

ESPN has stated it will simply not televise the National Anthem. It is unclear what the other networks will do.

Miami Dolphins in 2017
Credit: AP/Steven Brashear

The reason given by the players for kneeling during the National Anthem is that they are protesting racial inequality and police brutality in the United States.

Let's look at some facts behind this issue.

Last season 70% of the players in the NFL were African American.

However, African Americans only make up about 13% of the U.S. population.

Racial inequality?

African Americans make up 53% of the arrests for murder and non-negligent homicide in the United States.

African Americans make up 29% of the arrests for rape.

African Americans make up 55% of the arrests for robbery.

(All of these statistics from FBI Report: Crime in the U.S.-2016)

Racial inequality?

Consider further that those aged 15-34 make up the vast number of homicides regardless of race.

This graph shows the distribution of homicide offenders based on age across three historical periods.

Credit: https://www.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/60294_Chapter_23.pdf

This indicates that over 80% of all homicide arrests currently are for those between the ages of 15-34. Note the disturbing trend of more homicides being committed by teenagers. In 1940, only 7% of homicides were committed by those between the ages of 15-19. Today it is close to 25%.

This also points to the fact that over 40% of all the homicides committed today are being committed by black males between the ages of 15-35. That group makes up just 2% of the total population of the United States.

In other words, young black males are committing upwards of 20 times the number of murders that would be expected relative to their representation in the population.

Racial Inequality?

It should also be kept in mind that most violent crimes (including murder) are committed against a member of the same race.

52% of all murder victims are African American. This is four times the number of murders that would be expected based on population.

58% of all male murder victims are African American.

32% all all female murder victims are African American.

33% of all murder victims are African American males between the ages of 17-34 who make up less than 2% of the total population.

(All of these statistics from FBI Expanded Homicide File Data Table 2-2015.)

Racial Inequality?

What about police brutality?

Yes, there are cases of police brutality. We have seen instances of it on videotape. However, these cases have to be put into the context of the thousands upon thousands of police interactions that occur in a typical day.

We hear about cases of white police officers killing an unarmed black man such as was the case in Ferguson, Missouri several years ago.

Yes, it does occur but it is about as common as being struck by lightning according to the statistics.

The National Review studied this issue last September in an article titled "Police Violence against Black Men Is Rare".

Last year, according to the Washington Post’s tally, just 16 unarmed black men, out of a population of more than 20 million, were killed by the police. The year before, the number was 36. These figures are likely close to the number of black men struck by lightning in a given year, considering that happens to about 300 Americans annually and black men are 7 percent of the population. And they include cases where the shooting was justified, even if the person killed was unarmed.

We also hear that African Americans are disproportionately stopped by the police for no reason. That same article cites the surprising fact that black men are actually less likely to have contact with the police in a given year than a white man.

 ...it’s not true that black men are constantly stopped by the police for no reason. Indeed, black men are less likely than white men to have contact with the police in any given year, though this includes situations where the respondent called the cops himself: 17.5 percent versus 20.7 percent. Similarly, a black man has on average only 0.32 contacts with the police in any given year, compared with 0.35 contacts for a white man. It’s true that black men are overrepresented among people who have many contacts with the police, but not by much. Only 1.5 percent of black men have more than three contacts with the police in any given year, whereas 1.2 percent of white men do.

Police Brutality?

I will leave it to you to decide the justification for protesting any of this given these facts.

However, no matter how you come down on this, what is the reason to do so by disrespecting the flag and the country that has provided those in the NFL with the opportunity and freedom to take the field and earn millions of dollars doing it?

Is there any consideration of the men and women who died under that flag to preserve that freedom?

Most particularly, what of the 360,000 Union soldiers who died in the Civil War to insure that freedom for those African American players?

Should they be kneeling?

Or should they proudly stand to honor the flag of the country and those that sacrificed their lives for that freedom?