U.S. Soccer ends ban on kneeling during anthem

At a general meeting of its National Council on Feb. 27, 2021, the U.S. Soccer Federation, the sport’s governing body in the United States, voted to repeal a 2017 policy that prohibited players from kneeling during the national anthem. One delegate, in his dissent to the rule change, downplayed the country’s history of race-based slavery and dismissed concerns of police brutality against people of color, drawing the federation’s condemnation. 

Key Players

The U.S. Soccer Federation, also known simply as U.S. Soccer, guides the rules and regulations of the game in professional, amateur, and international settings. It is a full member of the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) governing body, and represents the interests of U.S. soccer players and enthusiasts on the world stage.

Seth Jahn is a former Paralympic athlete and a former member of the U.S. Soccer Athlete Council who served as a delegate at the meeting Feb. 27. He previously served as head of security for the U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT) at the 2019 World Cup. He came under fire for making controversial comments during the Feb. 27 vote. 

Cindy Parlow Cone is the president of U.S. Soccer. She supported allowing players to kneel during the national anthem and personally condemned Jahn’s actions at the meeting. 

Further Details

The initial policy decision to ban players from kneeling during the national anthem came in 2017, after USWNT star Megan Rapinoe knelt before a 2016 game in solidarity with then-National Football League (NFL) quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Kaepernick began kneeling during the national anthem at the start of the 2016 NFL season to protest police brutality against Black Americans, according to ESPN. Kaepernick’s pregame ritual immediately sparked controversy; defenders of kneeling argued it was an appropriate protest protected by the First Amendment, while critics asserted that kneeling during the anthem disrespected the flag, and, by extension, the U.S. military. The 2017 U.S. Soccer policy stated that all team members had to “stand respectfully” during the song, according to The Guardian. 

U.S. Soccer’s board of directors voted to repeal the policy in June 2020, amid nationwide protests against police brutality and discrimination faced by Black people. However, the vote needed to be confirmed at a general meeting of the U.S. Soccer National Council in order to take effect. National Council delegates are drawn from four primary constituencies: the Adult Council, which oversees the amateur adult game; the Youth Council, which oversees youth leagues; the Professional Council, which is composed of representatives from the professional leagues in both men’s and women’s soccer; and the Athlete Council, which represents the interests of the players on the various national teams, according to ESPN. 

During the general meeting debate on whether to keep or repeal the policy, Jahn gave an impassioned seven-minute speech insisting that athletes should be required to stand for the national anthem. 

In his speech, he dismissed police brutality against Black people, calling it “a narrative with relatively zero data to substantiate it.” according to The Guardian. He also disputed the prevailing wisdom about the legacy and impact of chattel slavery in U.S. history, arguing that, “Every race in the history of mankind has been enslaved by another demographic at some point in time.” He went on to say that kneeling during the national anthem was actually snubbing the sacrifices of Americans who died in the Civil War. He said, “in all of history only one country has fought to abolish slavery: the United States of America, where nearly 400,000 men died to fight for the abolishment of slavery underneath the same stars and bars that our athletes take a knee for.” 

Cone rebutted Jahn’s speech saying, “This is not about disrespecting the flag or disrespecting the military. This is about the athletes’ and our staff right to peacefully protest racial inequalities and police brutality.” 

Outcome 

Anti-kneeling policy repealed

After the debate, 71.34% of U.S. Soccer delegates voted to repeal the no-kneel policy, according to Sports Illustrated.

Jahn removed from U.S. Soccer athlete council

The Athlete Council released a statement explaining that Jahn “violated the Prohibited Conduct’s Policy section on harassment, which prohibits racial or other harassment based upon a person’s protected status (race), including any verbal act in which race is used or implied in a manner which would make a reasonable person uncomfortable.” Jahn was removed after two-thirds of the remaining members of the Council voted to have his membership revoked. 

Elaborating on the decision to terminate Jahn’s membership on the Council, the press statement said, “The Athletes’ Council does not tolerate this type of language and finds it incompatible with membership on the Council. While the Council understands that each person has a right to his or her own opinion, there are certain opinions that go beyond the realm of what is appropriate or acceptable,” according to The Guardian. The decision to remove Jahn from the athletes council came swiftly: one day after Jahn made his inflammatory remarks.