Kobe Bryant would join the chorus of athletes protesting
By Keith Rivas
Kobe Bryant would join the long list of players who choose to protest during the national anthem if he were still an active player in the NBA.
Started by Colin Kaepernick, the national anthem protests by professional athletes has taken over the NFL and has shown some face in other sports. MLB catcher Bruce Maxwell was the first professional baseball player to kneel, while there have been linked arms in the NBA preseason and a variety of forms of protest during the anthem in the NFL.
According to a report from NBC that echoed an original report from the Hollywood Reporter, Lakers legend Kobe Bryant chimed in on the situation and indicated that he would take a knee. This is huge because it may encourage or inspire other NBA players, particularly LeBron James and Stephen Curry, to continue protesting in their own way.
As a result of the protests, there are restaurants that won’t air NFL games, there are fans burning their merchandise and insisting that they’ll spend their Sunday elsewhere. It’s an unfortunate place for sports and the real world to collide, as sports is often cited as a way for everyday people to escape whatever is going on outside.
The kneeling and other protests have continued in the NFL ten fold after remarks from President Trump calling protesters inappropriate names.
When it comes to Kobe Bryant, it shouldn’t be as much of a surprise, as he was also vocal in silent protest by wearing an “I Can’t Breathe” shirt to protest police misconduct. It will be very interesting to see how this trickles down into the upcoming season and who, if any, players decide to take a knee against NBA policy.
It could be the beginning of an even more important conversation about the ability to protest uncomfortable topics, especially as an athlete.