Following the police killings of both George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, the nation was swept with a series of protests. The streets were not the only place protests were taking place; as sports leagues began to restart, athletes began to use their platform to spread awareness about police brutality.
This trend of athletes speaking on social issues is not a recent development. Years ago, Muhammad Ali was stripped of his boxing license for his defiant stance against the Vietnam War. NBA legend Bill Russell refused to sign autographs for what he thought was a predominantly racist Boston fanbase. However, when we think of athletes protesting today, we tend to think of Colin Kaepernick and kneeling. Kaepernick popularized kneeling during the national anthem in 2016, and he has since become one of the most polarizing figures today. There is a camp of people who believe that Kaepernick is disrespecting the military and the country by kneeling for what is indisputably the song most closely associated with the United States. Another camp of people applaud Kaepernick for risking his career and facing intense backlash in order to shed light on an ever present issue in the country .
The MLB and the NBA both restarted about a month ago, and there was an intense focus on social justice. On opening day in the MLB, every player kneeled and held a black ribbon prior to the game. Black Lives Matter symbols were plastered on the field, player uniforms and an emphasis during broadcasts. Similarly, the vast majority of NBA players are still kneeling during the national anthem. If one were to check Twitter during these player protests, they would likely see a recurring name that they might not be familiar with: Pat Tillman.
Pat Tillman was a standout football player who played linebacker at Arizona State University. As white man standing at only 5 feet 11 inches, he was a prototypical heart over talent type of athlete. A long shot to make the NFL because of his height and athleticism, he defied the odds by being picked in the last round of the NFL draft by the Arizona Cardinals. From there he went on to become a very serviceable NFL player and a fan favorite in Arizona. Tillman’s life took a sharp turn after the Sept. 11 attacks, and prior to the 2002 season, Tillman was offered a $3.6 million contract, but he turned down the offer to enlist in the military.
The story is like something out of a movie — a gritty longshot football player turned star giving up millions of dollars to serve his country. For many, Tillman embodied a patriot who gave up everything for his country. For countless people, kneeling during the national anthem is disrespectful to Tillman’s legacy. Donald Trump retweeted an image of Tillman with a caption that described his life followed by the #standfortheanthem. Tillman has been the poster boy for the pro-anthem crowd since 2016, and on the exterior it makes sense, however, when Tillman’s life is looked at under a closer lens things get muddier.
In response to a recent tweet by President Trump, Tillman’s widow stated that her husband’s service should never be politicized in a way that divides the country. This came as a shock to a good deal of people, especially the pro-anthem crowd. Pat Tillman enlisted in the military in response to the Al-Qaeda terrorist attacks, but he was sent to fight in Iraq. Although he wanted to stay out of the national spotlight, the Bush administration propped him up as a hero, and he undoubtedly fit that mold. However, during his service he became disillusioned with the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Tillman was very critical and outspoken against the war and the Bush administration. He was quoted as saying that the war and invasion of Iraq was “f**king illegal.” Friends said that he planned to meet with socialist anti-war thinker Noam Chomsky to discuss the War in Iraq after he finished serving.
During Tillman’s redeployment in Afghanistan he was shot and killed at the age of 27. The story the government gave to the American public about Tillman was nothing short of courage personified with Tillman defending his fellow soldiers in the heat of battle and then making the ultimate sacrifice. It was a heroic story and ending, but it was also a fake one. A whole five weeks after Tillman’s death the Army released the real details of How Tillman was killed: friendly fire. During those preceding five weeks, Tillman was propped up in the national spotlight, receiving posthumous medals and honors for his service. His fellow soldiers were told to keep quiet about the true details of his death. Finally, when the real details were released to his family and the public it was too late to try and reverse the heroic death narrative the Bush administration had been pushing.
Further conspiracy was raised when the exact details of the friendly fire accident came to light. According to a 2003 testimony, Tillman was shot from only 10 yards away, there were no enemy bullets found at the scene of his death, his clothes and notebook were burned after he was killed and army attorneys sent each other congratulatory emails for keeping the true details of Tillman’s death at bay during criminal investigation. Pat Tillman’s open opposition to the War in Iraq likely didn’t gain him many friends among his fellow soldiers, and that could have possibly proved fatal, but we will never know.
The point of describing Tillman’s story here is the common trend that I am noticing of disinformation used during the anthem arguments. Tillman was not the Christian, Republican, America-loving soldier he is painted out to be by pro-anthem supporters. He was an atheist who consistently critiqued the United States government during his later years. His biographer stated, “I have no doubt if he was in the NFL today, he would be the first to kneel. So there is irony about what is going on.” With the partisan nature of politics and the anthem, the true story of Tillman will likely never be brought to the mainstream, and his name will continue to be thrown around in defense of the national anthem, which is a shame when his family wishes for just the opposite.
This isn’t just unique to Pat Tillman. Colin Kaepernick has faced similar smears, and still does to this day. Many might not know, but initially Kaepernick was sitting during the national anthem. Nate Boyer, a former long snapper and veteran wrote an article in a military journal expressing his dismay towards Kaepernick’s actions. Kaepernick then asked to meet with Boyer to discuss the issue and Boyer told Kaepernick he believed that kneeling would be a more respectful way to protest the anthem. Kaepernick listened and put that into action. Additionally, people still—after four years—have the widespread belief that players are somehow protesting against the military, when they have repeatedly said they are protesting against police brutality.
This points to a bigger question: should the national anthem be played at sporting events now that it is inherently political and controversial? All of these points and questions will continue to be raised until the United States sees some radical change. In such a polarized and partisan age we as a country need to ensure that we don’t fall victim to misinformation. Social change should not be about trying to score points, and it should not be about winners and losers. The change that these players hope to achieve is for the benefit of everyone. We all need to remember that.