Most Americans support athletes kneeling during the national anthem — a reversal from 2 years ago

Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid kneel before a game in 2016.

(Image credit: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

published 10 September 2020

Americans' attitudes toward athlete protests have taken a big turn as the 2020 NFL season begins.

More than half of Americans — 56 percent — say it's appropriate for athletes to kneel during the national anthem before a sporting event, a Washington Post poll published Thursday reveals. Furthermore, 62 percent say professional athletes should use their platforms to express their views on national issues — a big shift from how Americans felt a few years ago.

It's been four years since Colin Kaepernick first took a knee before an NFL game to protest police brutality and systemic racism in the U.S. But even two years after that, in 2018, an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll found 54 percent of registered voters thought it was inappropriate to kneel during the anthem, while 43 percent found it appropriate. That more than reversed in the Post poll out Thursday, which comes just ahead of the NFL's return, and amid nationwide protests against systemic racism.

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Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.

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