Teachers’ Union Suggests Summer Reading About Kneeling for the National Anthem

The country’s largest teachers’ union suggested a book about kneeling for the national anthem as part of its August 2022 summer reading list, according to its website.

The National Education Association (NEA) listed the book “Why We Fly” by Kimberly Jones and Gilly Segal, which features marijuana use and tells of two girls on the cheerleading squad who take a knee for the national anthem after being inspired by a football star protesting in the media, according to the website. Discussion questions and related resources on athlete activism are also provided by the NEA to pair with the reading.

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Minnesota School Supports Students Who Kneel for National Anthem

A local high school softball team kneeled for the national anthem at a recent game, earning an understanding explanation from their school which said they were protesting for “social justice.”

Alpha News received a video of the Robbinsdale-Cooper girls softball team kneeling as the Star-Spangled Banner was played before a recent game. Only two of the fourteen players pictured remained standing for the national anthem.

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China Bans Its Own National Anthem as Anger over Lockdowns Rises

China’s censors banned social media posts featuring the communist country’s national anthem after internet users co-opted its lyrics to protest Shanghai’s ongoing lockdown, multiple sources reported.

Censors are actively removing Chinese posts containing the first stanza of “The March of the Volunteers,” which features the lyrics “Arise, ye who refuse to be slaves,” NY Daily News reported.

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Americans’ Allegiance to National Anthem Remains Strong Despite Protests, Poll Shows

Polling ahead of the 2021 NFL season indicates that, despite an increasingly political landscape for the sport and its fans, Americans overwhelmingly would prefer that the National Anthem continue to be the sole anthem played prior to games.

According to a recent poll conducted by Newt Gingrich’s American Majority Project in conjunction with McLaughlin & Associates, a total of 61% of Americans believe that “only” the American National Anthem should be played at NFL Games. That figure ticks up slightly to 64% among Republicans, and falls to 58% among Independents, while 11% of those polled said they don’t know.

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National Gingrich 360 Anthem X-tabs 8-3-21 .pdf
The poll was conducted in the wake of the NFL’s recent decision to play “Lift Every Voice and Sing” – often referred to as the black national anthem – before all games during the upcoming season, ahead of the playing of the American National Anthem. The song was initially introduced by the NFL when it was sung by Alicia Keys at the Super Bowl for the 2020-2021 season. The decision to play the song before each game is reportedly part of the league’s quarter-billion dollar investment in social justice messaging and initiatives.

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Former Soccer Player Hope Solo Says Megan Rapinoe Would ‘Bully’ Teammates into Kneeling for Anthem

Hope Solo holding up jersey

Hope Solo, the former goalie for the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team, said during an interview on Tuesday that her teammate Megan Rapinoe would resort to bullying tactics to coerce the other players into kneeling during the National Anthem, Fox News reports.

“I’ve seen Megan Rapinoe almost bully players into kneeling because she really wants to stand up for something in her particular way,” Solo said on the podcast “All of US: The U.S. Women’s Soccer Show.” However, Solo noted, “it’s our right as Americans to do it in whatever way we’re comfortable with,” before going on to describe the kneeling phenomenon as “very divisive.”

For this reason, Solo said she was relieved when the National Anthem was removed from the beginning of the game “to really remove that decision from athletes, because that’s very tough.”

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Newt Gingrich Commentary: Patriotic Olympians the Liberal Media Didn’t Want You to See

by Newt Gingrich   Now that the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games have concluded, it would be easy for the casual viewer to think that American patriotism and love of country is at an all time low. Throughout the games, the woke liberal media continuously highlighted American athletes who refused to hold American flags, snubbed the National Anthem, and denigrated the country they were sent to represent. But despite who the anti-American media chose to cover, there were many proud athletes who were thrilled to go to Tokyo and represent our country and our people on the world stage. When Naomi Graham stepped into the boxing ring in Tokyo, she was representing both her country and the U.S. Army. She’s the first female U.S. active-duty service member to compete as an Olympian. Graham, who was raised in North Carolina, joined the military as a young woman to take control of and improve her life. Before then, she was homeless. Graham said joining the American military was “the best decision she ever made.” And the message she had for young people was patriotic, clear, and quintessentially American: “You can be anything you want to be. You can come from nothing and be…

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Only One Member of U.S Women’s Soccer Team Stands for National Anthem

Carli Lloyd

Only one player on the U.S. Women’s National Team, Carli Lloyd, stood for the country’s national anthem before the team’s match against Australia.

After being the only player to stand for the patriotic song, Lloyd went on to score her 10th Olympic goal, breaking a record previously held by Abby Wambach.

The team, which had a disappointing showing during the Olympics, knelt throughout the course of the games and received a bronze medal after an unexpected loss to Canada.

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Representative Harshbarger Condemns East Tennessee State University Basketball Team for Kneeling During National Anthem

The behavior of East Tennessee State University (ETSU) basketball has caught the ire of their congresswoman. Freshman Representative Diana Harshbarger (R-TN-01) criticized the basketball team on Thursday after the team’s practice of kneeling in protest to the national anthem was made known. 

ETSU Head Coach Jason Shay supported his team’s decision, stating that the country’s soldiers and people of color have experienced similar levels of “sacrifice, fear, pain, anxiety, [and] loss.” 

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Dolphins Announce They Will Stay Inside Locker Room During Both National Anthems

Miami Dolphins announced that they will remain in the team’s locker room for both national anthems this Sunday ahead of their regular-season opener against the New England Patriots, Fox News reports.

There will be no kneeling for the Dolphins on the sidelines this season. The players shared their thoughts in a video Thursday and read a message demanding the NFL use its money and influence to make social changes.

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Players Kneeling for Anthem Met with Boos Before MLS Game

There was a smattering of boos when players from FC Dallas and Nashville SC collectively took a knee during the national anthem before their MLS game Wednesday night in Frisco, Texas.

Dallas defender Reggie Cannon said he was disgusted by the boos at Toyota Stadium when players and officials knelt to call attention to racial injustice. He said teammate Ryan Hollingshead turned to him afterward and said he was sorry.

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Washington Nationals, New York Yankees Kneel Prior to the National Anthem

Prior to the start of the 2020 MLB season opener in Washington, DC, all members of both teams took a knee prior to the start of the national anthem. According to the Yankees, it was done “together in unity.”

The park was particularly silent for the moment with no fans in the stands because of the risks and worries of COVID-19, a pre-recorded rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner was played and every player and coach “took a knee” on the grass, for about 20 seconds.

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AP Source: NFL to Play Black Anthem Before National Anthem

“Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing” will be performed live or played before “The Star-Spangled Banner” prior to each NFL game during Week 1 and the league is considering putting names of victims of police brutality on helmet decals or jersey patches, a person familiar with the discussions told The Associated Press.

The person said the league is working collaboratively with players to recognize victims of systemic racism throughout the season in a variety of ways. The person spoke to the AP on Thursday on condition of anonymity because discussions between the league and the NFL Players Association are ongoing.

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US Women’s Soccer Player Ignored the National Anthem as an ‘F-You’ to Trump

by Shelby Talcott   U.S. women’s soccer star Megan Rapinoe ignored the national anthem before the Women’s World Cup game against Thailand on Tuesday. Rapinoe, who is openly gay, had previously said she would never sing the national anthem again as an ‘f-you’ to President Donald Trump. She announced that she would “never put my hand over my heart” or sing the national anthem in an interview with Yahoo News in May. “I’ll probably never put my hand over my heart,” Rapinoe said in May. “I’ll probably never sing the national anthem again.” She was seen standing silently without her hand over her heart when the national anthem played on Tuesday while her teammates sang and placed their hands over their hearts, The Blaze reported. Many people took to social media in response showing both their support and disagreement with her decision. Megan Rapinoe is not singing the anthem (because she's not allowed to kneel) and I love her so much it hurts — Meredith Clark (@MeredithLClark) June 11, 2019 so weird to have a scowl while your national anthem, the one that gave you the freedom to pretty much actually PLAY in this game @mPinoe #USWNT — Swami (@SwamiG8R)…

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President Trump Withdraws Philadelphia Eagles Invite, Plans Patriotic Celebration with Fans Anyway

President Trump

President Donald Trump said, in a statement, that the Philadelphia Eagles team is “unable” to attend a White House ceremony this afternoon because they don’t agree with his belief that NFL players should “proudly stand for the National Anthem, hand on heart, in honor of the great men and women of our military and the people of our country.” The president’s announcement was made Monday evening, just under 24 hours before the 3 p.m. scheduled meeting, Fox News reported. Players Brandon Graham, Malcolm Jenkins, Chris Long and Torrey Smith previously said they would not attend. “The Eagles wanted to send a smaller delegation, but the 1,000 fans planning to attend the event deserve better,” the president said in a statement. “These fans are still invited to the White House to be part of a different type of ceremony—one that will honor our great country, pay tribute to the heroes who fight to protect it, and loudly and proudly play the National Anthem.  I will be there at 3:00 p.m. with the United States Marine Band and the United States Army Chorus to celebrate America.” Monday night, President Trump and first lady Melania Trump hosted Gold Star families at the White House…

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Despite Plunging NFL Ratings, Goodell Contract Extension Expected to be Completed Soon

A proposed contract extension for commissioner Roger Goodell reportedly is on track to be completed soon despite Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones recently threatening to sue the NFL if the extension is approved. Goodell’s proposed extension is expected to be completed at or before the NFL owners’ Dec. 13 meeting in Dallas, sources familiar with the…

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NFL May Flag Players Who Kneel For Anthem

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell may signal a penalty on players who disrespect the flag and national anthem. Goodell sent a letter to all 32 NFL teams on Tuesday, Oct. 10 saying the league needs to move on, Business Insider reports. “Like many of our fans, we believe that everyone should stand for the National Anthem,” Goodell wrote. “It is an important moment in our game. We want to honor our flag and our country, and our fans expect that of us.” The topic will be discussed at a league meeting next week. Owners may allow players to give input, but they can make a decision without the union’s approval, the Daily Mail reports. The NFL may have already quietly changed its national anthem policy to allow teams to directly players instead of relying on the league to do so, the Daily Mail quotes ESPN reporter Chris Mortensen as saying. The policy now reads, “'[Players’ f]ailure to be on the field by the start of the National Anthem may result in discipline, such as fines, suspensions, and/or the forfeiture of draft choice(s) for violations of the above, including first offenses.’” Goodell does, however, plan to provide players a “platform,” Business Insider reports.…

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Titans’ Delanie Walker to Fans: Stay Home

The Tennessee Titans’ tight end Delanie Walker may believe money grows on trees, for he apparently does not think ticket-buying fans pay his salary. The NFL player smack-talked his team’s fan base earlier this week when he said those who are upset about high-salaried players kneeling for the national anthem should stay home, Fox News Insider quoted from other media reports. Or perhaps the athlete thinks people pay to hear his political opinions rather than watching him compete in a sporting event. “OK. Bye,” the tight end was reported saying about Titans’ fans. Walker has a two-year, $13.3 million contract. Coach Mike Mularkey told the media that he thought it was a team-wide decision to remain in the locker room Sunday, Sept. 24. The Titans media office declined to comment to The Tennessee Star on Walker’s remarks and referred to their Sept. 24 statement: “As a team, we wanted to be unified in our actions today. The players jointly decided this was the best course of action. Our commitment to the military and our community is resolute and the absence of our team for the national anthem shouldn’t be misconstrued as unpatriotic.” Jessie James Decker, the country singer and wife of…

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Cleveland, Tennessee Businessman Pulls Ads From NFL Broadcasts

A Cleveland, Tennessee, businessman is yanking his commercials from TV and radio broadcasts of NFL games for the rest of the season because of national anthem protests. Allan Jones is the founder of Check Into Cash and runs commercials for Check Into Cash, Buy Here Pay Here USA, and U.S. Money Shops. “Our companies will not condone in any form the unpatriotic behavior demonstrated by the NFL,” Jones said in a letter to his ad agency in Knoxville. Jones said on Facebook not to look for Hardwick Clothes ads anymore, either. Jones helped the longtime Cleveland business when it was fighting bankruptcy in 2014, reports WTVC NewsChannel 9. The Tennessee Titans were among players nationwide protesting this past Sunday after President Trump slammed the practice. The Titans did not even take the field during the playing of the national anthem. Football players have said they are protesting racism and inequality. WTVC also spoke with former Buffalo Bills General Manager Buddy Nix this week. Nix, who lives today in Chattanooga, said he thinks the protests are disrespectful. “I believe firmly in standing for the national anthem and being respectful to the flag in this country,” he said. “I don’t think there’s any excuse for…

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U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn Files Resolution on National Anthem Manners

U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-7) on Monday introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives that reiterates U.S. Code on the manners to be displayed during the playing of the national anthem. “Persons present who are not in uniform or are not members of the Armed Forces or veterans ‘should face the flag and stand at attention with their right hand over their heart’,” the resolution says. Federal law offers guidance only and does not authorize any punitive measures for noncompliance. Blackburn’s resolution came a day after NFL players on several teams took a knee Sunday, with a few teams, including the Tennessee Titans, not even going out onto the field during the national anthem. Taking a knee has become a form of protest among football players and others against perceived racism, with Sunday’s protests fueled by President Trump slamming the practice. “The national anthem is a source of American pride,” Blackburn said on Facebook. “Our flag is the ultimate symbol of unity – uniting all Americans under one banner as ‘Americans’ – and we should respect it and those who have and continue to defend it.” The U.S. Code can be read here: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/36/301 Blackburn’s resolution can be read here: https://blackburn.house.gov/UploadedF…/Anthem_resolution.pdf Here…

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