Kim Woods Only

Ethics in the National Football League

Chad Hurt

OLCU 601

18 November 2017

Identify and Analyze

There is a saying that goes, baseball is the pastime in America, but the American game is football. Over the past one year, the National Football League has been engaged with controversy over the decision by some of the players to kneel during the American national anthem. The kneeling protest during the national anthem has continued for a long period of time as a form of raising awareness against racism and police brutality (Graham, 2017). The element of ethics sets in when we consider the fact that the action is motivated by a personal belief towards a certain course. The athletes who have knelt during the anthem have stated that they understand the imbalance in the society and they use the sport to raise awareness. There are other people in the country who think otherwise including the President of the United States Donald Trump.

The controversy around the issue has arisen based on the fact that the president has raised his voice, and condemned the athletes for the actions. In defiance, the athletes have not taken the criticism lying down. The players, together with some club owners, decided to stage an unprecedented wave of protest against the president’s sentiments. The defiance started in London’s Wembley stadium when the players refused to stand during the national anthem even after the president had called them out (Graham, 2017). Political issues are always looked at from the ethical point of view rather than from a legal point of view. Some people have a view that the president is fueling racial tension through his statements when majority of the people who are protesting are of African American origin.

The statements made by President Donald Trump that club owners should fire players who kneel during the protests have been met by condemnation from the Democratic Coalition which believe that he is wrong on the issue. Even though the federal law says that it is not proper for Trump to comment on employment of the citizens, the issue has been looked at from the ethical point of view where individuals have different political affiliation.

Hobbes political and ethical theory properly explain some of the positions that have been taken in the debate. Hobbes, in his theory, detests violence (Beitz, 2009). The NFL players, particularly Colin Kaepernick who started the protest, believe that police brutality is violence that is not ethically correct, and the only way that the society can call out the police to stop such brutality is through peaceful protests such as the one he initiated. On the other hand, President Donald Trump and most of the Republicans believe in descriptive ethics (Hussain, 2007). They are concerned that the kneeling is disrespect to the history and the country’s flag. His supporters believe that the veterans who fought for freedom are not happy with the protest.

Evaluate

The issue of players kneeling during NFL games is a matter that concerns the society. Even though the issue has led to divide opinion over the ethical position of the actions, it means that there are certain positions that the society hold dear that must be addressed and bring the impasse to an end. When the issue gets the attention of the head of state, it means that there is so much about the continued protest than what meets the eye.

The majority of the NFL players are of the Africa American origin, a minority race in the country that believes certain unfair practices have been directed towards them. The most critical issue that the African American players are raising is concerned with the fact that the black society has been victimized by the police, and some of them have been faced with undue heavy handedness from the police. Even though there have been street protests against the alleged brutality the NFL players, a majority of whom are black have decided to kneel during an important session so as to pass the important message to the world.

The president and the Republicans are concerned with the dignity that should be bestowed upon the American flag. The condemnation that has been directed towards the players is that they have failed to respect the country and what it stands for by kneeling during the anthem. The president and the other members of the American society are frustrated because the players who are kneeling during the anthem are passing a message that is important to them. Any act that will force them to stand during the anthem will be seen as further discrimination against the minority thereby escalating the racial issue at hand.

The NFL and the government have a responsibility to one another. The NFL has the rights of its players to protect while the government has the image of the nation to protect. The government has continued to call on the NFL to fire players who kneel during the anthem, but the NFL has ignored such calls. The most important thing is that the sport and the government come together for the sake of the nation and the players. The public has a role to play in the issue whereby they can decide to call on both the government and the NFL to find out what the reasons behind the kneeling are and whether they can be solved through proper dialogue.

Synthesize

The biggest challenge that is posed to the office of the president is to prove that the issue that has been raised by the players are not taking place in the society. The minority black society have maintained that there are issues of race that have not been addressed in the country, and they have decided to show the world that there are racial injustices in the country through the protest. It would have been easy for the president to accept that certain issues have happened in the past that might have pointed negatively on the police towards the black race, and decided to assure the minority that certain changes will be made. The challenge is that Donald Trump has to work with the ideologies of his supporters who believe that no racism and profiling has taken place against the black community. The president has been quoted saying that the kneeling is nothing to do with race, and that everything boils down to disrespect of the flag.

The NFL is obliged to protect its financial interest when dealing with the issue. The fact is that the game is made up of more black players than any other race. The league is faced with a dilemma where they can decide to fire the players and end up diluting the quality of the game. The league owners have decided to ignore the calls by the government to fire players who continue with the protest. The NFL, being a private business, is not limited in terms of what it can do to the players, but it cannot fall to the coercion from the government.

Recommendation

In every society, people have interests that they want to be addressed. When issues are addressed through dialogue; in most cases, they don’t escalate. The hardline stance that has been taken by players, the NFL and the government opinion is not healthy for the image of the country. I recommend that both the NFL and the government leaders come together to address their concerns in a professional manner that have the interest of the American people in mind. From the topic, what I have learned is that a leader is an individual who is willing to listen to the opinion of others and learn from them; don’t criticize them for their beliefs. I recommend that an Ethics policy is put in place. One that both parties can agree upon to deter future issues. Lastly, ethical dilemmas are not easy to fix. I believe the key to resolving an ethical dilemma is to have an open mind and the interest of your employees and the organization at the forefront of ethical decisions.

References

Beitz, C. R. (2009). Political theory and international relations. Princeton University Press.

Graham, B. (2017). NFL players kneel for anthem in unprecedented defiance of Trump. The Guardian

Hussain, N. (2007). Honest illusion: Valuing for Nietzsche’s free spirits. Nietzsche and Morality, 157.

Warnock, G. (2003). The object of morality. Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics, 2(3), 255-258.