In 2016 football player Colin Kaepernick decided to kneel, instead of standing, during the singing of the National Anthem to PEACEFULLY protest the abuse and killing of men and women of color in the United States of America by law enforcement. Instead of understanding his message, he was vilified and many (ignorantly) condemned him for "disrespecting the military, the flag and our country". He was deemed "unpatriotic" and a "hater of the USA", when, in fact, he was trying to bring attention to an issue he felt strongly about. He, along with other players, continued to kneel until he was blackballed from the NFL and the other players were basically bullied by team owners into standing for the anthem. 

Until recently, after the video of George Floyd, an UNARMED black male, being killed by law enforcement surfaced, did the NFL apologize and admit that they were wrong for their treatment of players who wanted to protest peacefully.

If the NFL, and even the NBA, TRULY stand with black Americans and understand that BLACK LIVES MATTER, then join hands (or put fists in the air) and sing OUR National Anthem "Lift Every Voice and Sing" before or after the National Anthem, so that we can feel a sense of pride too!