Kneeling, fundamentally an act of humility or deference, doesn’t seem the obvious protest against injustice when the National Anthem plays before a major American sporting event. The quarterback Colin Kaepernick made the gesture famous—and personal, since only he (and sometimes a couple of teammates) did it before his San Francisco 49ers took to the field for games in 2016. But two weeks ago, inflamed by President Trump, dozens of players (mainly black players, who make up around 75 per cent of the National Football League) did it, across the NFL.
Their kneeling took different forms, and some contortions seemed to suggest ambivalence, with players kneeling then rising once the music started; others lopsidedly clasped their kneeling neighbour as they remained standing. Then the country took it on: with elderly ex-athletes in their backyards and celebrities at non-sporting events posting photos of their kneeling on social media.
But what mainly diminishes ‘Taking the knee’ is time: a kneeling campaign cannot be sustained.
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