New York Knicks link arms for national anthem in preseason opener. Cowboys kneel, then stand with locked arms for anthem. Story highlights Cowboys wanted to avoid making statement about equality during anthem, owner saysMonday Night Football kicks off following weekend of protests after Trumps criticism CNNDallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones joined his team in taking a knee before the National Anthem, then the Cowboys and the Arizona Cardinals players stood with arms locked for the anthem ahead of the Monday Night Football kickoff. Still, the fans in Glendale, Arizona, booed as Americas Team knelt. Cowboys star wide receiver Dez Bryant and running back Ezekiel Elliott said the team was sending a message to President Donald Trump, who in recent days has issued caustic criticism of the anthem protests that began as a means to decry racial and social injustice. They evolved over the weekend, with players responding to Trumps remarks by kneeling, locking arms or remaining in their locker rooms during pregame performances of the anthem. That was a clear shot at Trump, Bryant said of his teams display. We showed great unity tonight, and thats what that was for. I feel like that was needed. Added Elliott, We dont agree at all with what the President said, and we just wanted to show that we werent going to be divided by that. Jones, who in the past has criticized such conduct, said he was proud of his team for showing respect for the American flag while also showing unity. We want to stand and respect the flag, he said. Nothing we did tonight says anything other than that, but we also, as a complete team. Anthem Arizona Business License' title='Anthem Arizona Business License' />The protests snowballed last week following calls by Trump for team owners to fire athletes who sat or knelt as the anthem played. So, the thing that Im so proud of these guys for, they did both. Trump kicked off the morning after the Cowboys 2. Glendale exhibited but also appearing to praise the Cowboys for standing during The Star Spangled Banner. After claiming NFL ratings were down except during the pregame anthems, Trump tweeted, The booing at the NFL football game last night, when the entire Dallas team dropped to its knees, was loudest I have ever heard. Great anger. That tweet was followed by, But while Dallas dropped to its knees as a team, they all stood up for our National Anthem. Big progress being made we all love our countryLater Tuesday morning, he posted a tweet reiterating his call for the NFL to institute a rule banning players from kneeling during the anthem. Capping a contentious weekend. As she performed the anthem, pop singer Jordin Sparks also shook up the Twitterverse with a scripture reference written on her hand Proverbs 3. Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly defend the rights of the poor and needy. Many took to social media to praise Sparks. Members of the Cowboys and Cardinals teams stood in separate locations for the anthem. The teams had talked about coming together for a joint display of unity, but that didnt happen, a league source said. No member of either team was shown in the televised broadcast kneeling or sitting as the anthem played. As players, coaches and owners locked arms to honor the flag and members of the armed forces, public address announcer Jim Barnett invited the crowd to unite as well and do the same with your fellow fans, regardless of jersey color. Before the game, Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians had said it would be up to players to decide whether to stand or kneel during the anthem. That is an individual right of an American, he said. Jones joins demonstration. Last year, when then San Francisco 4. Colin Kaepernick saw only a modicum of support for the anthem protests he pioneered, Jones told a Fort Worth radio station that such demonstrations were really disappointing. The Cowboys owner reiterated those sentiments last week, telling Fox Business that the pregame National Anthem wasnt the time for players to express themselves. KNXV%20Anthem%20college%20_1453427161506_30341658_ver1.0_640_480.jpg' alt='Anthem Arizona Business License' title='Anthem Arizona Business License' />Thats not the place to do anything other than honor the flag and everybody thats given up a little for it, he said. Jones said after the Cardinals game that he realized his players wanted to make a statement about equality, but the players knew that making the statement during the recognition of the American flag could spur criticism. He was quick to excuse those who booed, noting they jeered only when the Cowboys knelt, before the team stood up for the anthem. I knew they hadnt seen the complete thing we were doing, he said. Asked about comments from Trump, whom he has supported in the past, Jones declined to respond. I want our actions to be louder than words, he said. We made our statement regarding the two issues were talking about. Following the game, Cowboys coach Jason Garrett issued high praise for his players and how they handled a challenging issue. Our players get put in a situation where they feel pressure from a lot of different places, the coach said. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones joined his team in taking a knee before the National Anthem, then the Cowboys and the Arizona Cardinals players stood with. Shop online for Entegra Coach Anthem. Lazydays, The RV Authority, features a wide selection of RVs in Tampa, FL, including Entegra Coach Anthem. Offers awnings, tents, and vehicle covers. Includes list of products offered, photographs, history of the company, and contact information. About half the members of the San Francisco 49ers knelt during the National Anthem before their game against the Arizona Cardinals in Glendale, Arizona. The Justice League. A growing number of NBA stars and coaches are raising their voices about the most pressing social issues of the day. How did an organization that. They were so thoughtful. They were open with each other. They were communicative. Arizona.jpg' alt='Anthem Arizona Business License' title='Anthem Arizona Business License' />Im sure they worked through some disagreements and differences of opinion and different positions, and ultimately, those things unity and the importance of expressing our support for equality and our country those are the things that rose to the forefront. Trump Players should not disrespect flag. The latest chapter in the controversy opened Friday, when Trump told those attending a rally in Alabama that NFL owners should fire any son of a bitch who protests during the anthem. The Presidents focus remained on sports Saturday morning, as he tweeted he was rescinding a White House invitation for the NBA champion Golden State Warriors because two time league MVP Steph Curry was hesitating in accepting the presidential offer. Curry actually had flat out declined the invitation. Hours later, the President went back in on athletes following in the knee prints of Kaepernick, who has said he refuses to stand during the anthem because he cannot show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. Read Trumps two part tweet If a player wants the privilege of making millions of dollars in the NFL, or other leagues, he or she should not be allowed to disrespect our Great American Flag or Country and should stand for the National Anthem. If not, YOURE FIRED. Find something else to doTrump went on to make the protests his cause du jour or more accurately, de deux jours as 1. His stance gained traction among his base and some NFL fans, who took to social media to tell athletes to stick to sports and skip the politics. Others used hashtags such standforouranthem and standfortheflag, tweeting that they were going to follow Trumps advice to tune out. Within the NFL there was a starkly different response. Trumps criticism seemed to galvanize the leagues players and coaches. In some cases, team owners locked arms with their players. Download Box App. Trump supporter Shad Khan, who owns the Jacksonville Jaguars, was one of them. Trump friend Robert Kraft stood in the owners box, hand over heart, before his New England Patriots played, but he said he was deeply disappointed in Trumps remarks. The Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Seahawks and Tennessee Titans stayed in their locker rooms for the anthem. Most teams chose to lock arms in a show of unity, but even among those squads, some players opted to kneel, including stars like the Baltimore Ravens Terrell Suggs and Denver Broncos Von Miller. How NBA and NFL Activism Has Risen in Americas Donald Trump Era. Sep 2. 5, 2. 01. 7. It is a symbol of oppression, Mahmoud Abdul Rauf said one afternoon in March 1. I dont think you can argue with the facts. The Nuggets guard, a recent convert to Islam, was discussing the American flag after a morning shoot around in Denvers old Mc. Nichols Arena. Speaking softly, he explained that his religious beliefs did not allow him to stand during the national anthem. For most of the season, Abdul Rauf had carried out a silent protest while the anthem was played before each game, lingering in the locker room, stretching on the floor, or remaining seated on the sidelines. But when a reporters question prompted him to explain his reasons, he became a symbol of oppression himself. David Stern, the NBAs autocratic commissioner, suspended him and decreed a fine of 3. Abdul Rauf quickly capitulated, agreeing to stand if he could keep his head bowed and his eyes closed, but it didnt matter. Soon enough he was exiled to the Turkish Basketball League. The NBAs stance was clear Professional basketball, which relied on corporate sponsorships and television ratings to pay its players and generate profits for its owners, was no place for polarizing political statements. Advertisement Continue Reading Below. Two decades later, in August of last year, a quarterback for the San Francisco 4. Colin Kaepernick chose to kneel during the anthem of what he called a country that oppresses black people. Though he wasnt officially punished by the NFL, which ultimately decided that players were encouraged but not required to remain standing, the response to his gesture was familiar. Coaches and executives around the sport spoke out in a chorus of reprobation. Elder statesmen, such as former linebacker Ray Lewis, advised Kaepernick to keep his politics private. Fans tweeted insults. Colin Kaepernick kneels in protest during the national anthem at a San Francisco 4. Getty. After the 4. Kaepernick opted out of his contract. As of this writing, he remains unemployed. But his statement struck a chord inside the NBA. When camps opened ahead of last season, some of the leagues best known players were quick to weigh in. You have the right to voice your opinion, stand for your opinion, and hes doing it in the most peaceful way Ive ever seen someone do something, Le. Bron James said at the time. That take was broadly endorsed around the league. Gregg Popovich, the coach of the San Antonio Spurs, mentioned Kaepernick in a team meeting. I said, Heres our stance on the flag, Popovich told me recently. We have no stance. Youre grown men. Do what you want. Times have changed, James explained one afternoon this past April, when I met him in the visitors clubhouse at Denvers Pepsi Center, just over the highway from the site of Abdul Raufs all but forgotten protest. Athletes feel like theres more than just sports. With James leading the charge, some of the leagues larger personalities have been moving steadily toward the frontier of activism. In 2. 01. 2, he and his Miami Heat teammates posted a picture on social media that showed them wearing hoodies, with their heads bowed and their hands in their pockets. It was a symbolic reminder of Trayvon Martin, whod been gunned down by a neighborhood watch volunteer in Florida one month earlier. If Im knowledgeable about something and I have a passion for it, Im going to speak up. Wrye Bash What Is A Bashed Patch there. Le. Bron James. In 2. I Cant Breathe T shirts to memorialize Eric Garner, who died after a New York City police officer put him in a chokehold. And after Freddie Gray died in police custody in Baltimore the next year, the New York Knicks Carmelo Anthony traveled to the city and joined a street protest. James, who publicly supported Hillary Clintons presidential campaign, stood onstage at the ESPY Awards last year and urged players to speak out on issues of the moment. By then, Popovich was railing against Donald Trump. In the weeks after Kaepernicks protest, more NBA players and coaches went public with their opinions. The league issued no fines or even reprimands. At the time I spoke to James, it seemed like another voice was joining the chorus every few days. When I asked if he considered himself responsible, he said that he wasnt trying to serve as a model. It just felt good to speak his mind. More important, it felt wrong not to. I dont do it to get other people behind me or give them more courage, he said. If that happens, so be it. But what I do, I do for me. If Im knowledgeable about something and I have a passion for it, Im going to speak up. So will Stephen Curry, of the Golden State Warriors, the leagues second biggest star. This past February, Kevin Plank, the CEO of the sporting gear company Under Armour, which pays Curry several million dollars a year, described Trump as an asset to America. Curry said that he agreed with the description if you remove the E T. In what many read as a response to Curry, Plank bought a full page newspaper advertisement in which he said that his previous choice of words did not accurately reflect his intent. The mea culpa was an astonishing reversal. It had always been assumed that an overtly political statement by a player, especially one as personally denigrating as Currys, would harm his own reputation, and maybe the leagues along with it. Instead, here was Under Armour doing damage control, even as Curry gained respect for his candor. For the first time, it seemed, NBA players could be confident that they wouldnt be punished for expressing and acting on their beliefs. Advertisement Continue Reading Below. Even in the wake of the recent protests against white supremacists in Charlottesville, most players wont go on the record about anything more controversial than Drake versus Kendrick Lamar. But an increasing number are coming to see political engagement as something approaching a responsibility. Fans look up to us, explains Bradley Beal, who, at twenty four, is an emerging star for the Washington Wizards. Thats where the obligation comes in. Its giving back to the community by voicing your opinion. Standing behind whats right for the country. As players, we have a huge platform, and I think weve got to utilize it to the best of our ability. Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry suggested that he would not participate in a visit to The White House, a tradition for championship teams in major American sports leagues. President Trump later withdrew his invitation to the team. Key Acdsee Ultimate 8. Getty. The isolated actions of James and others have coalesced into something that looks a lot like the start of a movement. It is happening now for reasons that arent difficult to understand. The reach of Twitter and Snapchat allows celebrities to be easily heard in their own voices. The erosion of credibility suffered by both elected officials and the media has created space for others to wield influence. And contracts in excess of 1. But what makes this insurgency especially remarkable is that the existing power structure is helping to facilitate it. Athletes from other sports often approach Adam Silver, the current NBA commissioner, to say that they wish they played in his league. And this past September, Silver and Michele Roberts, the executive director of the players association, encouraged the leagues athletes to take a stand. Critical issues that affect our society also impact you directly, they wrote in a letter.