The Constitutionality of the Anthem Protests

     The NFL protests are at the forefront of the news media right now. Conservatives are criticizing those who sit for the anthem, portraying them as unpatriotic snowflakes - over-payed jocks who should get a college degree. The liberals are proud to stand in solidarity against the police brutality that they believe plagues our nation.

     Both sides have no Constitutional basis for their accusations. The First Amendment gives NFL players a clear right to sit down or stand up for the anthem as they please; however, the constitution also gives our officers the right to protect themselves when threatened.  In the end, the Constitution does not condemn those who sit down for the anthem. It is legal to do so. 

     Is it patriotic to sit down for the anthem? No. 

     Are liberal claims about police brutality well-founded? No.

     Are NFL players disrespecting fallen soldiers by sitting down for the anthem? Yes.

     Is it legal to sit down for the playing of the National Anthem? Yes.

     Here is the catch. The NFL teams that these players represent are privately-held entities. Therefore, since the players are being payed by the owner, the owners of the football teams have the right to tell the players to stand up for the anthem or leave the team. The owners of the teams give the ultimatum. The government does not. The calling for government interference in the matter is unconstitutional. Liberals who call for the players to continue protesting are telling employees of a business how to do their job. 
  
     The free market decides what the fate of the NFL will be. As NFL ratings continue to go down and as the NFL continues to lose money, they will eventually halt the anthem protests. Even if the NFL does not halt the protests, the football teams can individually fire the players until the players get the point. 

     Our Founding Fathers knew what they were doing when they wrote the constitution. They knew that if decisions people were making were immoral, the free market would correct it. The free market is an engine that is fueled by We the People, not Big Brother in Washington, D.C. 

Jeffrey D. Edgecombe