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Since August 2016, some American athletes have protested against police brutality and racism by kneeling on one knee whilst the U.S. national anthem is played. Beginning in 2017, many players also protested against President Donald Trump's criticisms of those involved in the protest, and some against Trump's policies during his time in office. Some observers have described the protests as politically motivated and/or patriotic and have praised the players' social awareness, while others have criticized giving attention to social issues during sporting events, and called the protests unpatriotic or disrespectful. The act itself has become widely referred to as "taking the knee" or "taking a knee".

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Protests during the playing of the United States national anthem have had many causes, including civil rights, anti-conscription, anti-war, anti-nationalism, and religious reservations. Such protests have occurred since at least the 1890s, well before "The Star-Spangled Banner" was adopted and resolved by Congress as the official national anthem in 1916 and 1931, respectively. Earlier protests typically took place during the performance of various unofficial national anthems, including "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" and "Hail, Columbia". These demonstrations may include refusal to stand or face the American flag during the playing of the Anthem.

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Seth Nicolas DeValve is an American football tight end who is a free agent. He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He played college football at Princeton.

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Colin Rand Kaepernick is an American civil rights activist and a former quarterback. He played six seasons for the San Francisco 49ers in the National Football League (NFL). In 2016, he knelt during the national anthem at the start of NFL games in protest of police brutality and racial inequality in the United States.

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Megan Anna Rapinoe is an American professional soccer player who plays as a winger and captains OL Reign of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), as well as the United States national team. Winner of the Ballon d'Or Féminin and named The Best FIFA Women's Player in 2019, Rapinoe won gold with the national team at the 2012 London Summer Olympics, 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, and 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup and she played for the team at the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup where the U.S. finished in second place. Rapinoe co-captained the national team alongside Carli Lloyd and Alex Morgan from 2018 to 2020, with the team earning the Bronze medal in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. She previously played for the Chicago Red Stars, Philadelphia Independence, and MagicJack in Women's Professional Soccer (WPS), as well as Olympique Lyon in France's Division 1 Féminine.

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Eric Todd Reid Jr. is a former American football safety. He played college football for Louisiana State University (LSU), and received consensus All-American recognition. He was selected in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers, with whom he made the 2014 Pro Bowl.

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Taking the knee is a symbolic gesture against racism whereby an individual kneels upon one knee in place of standing to attention for an anthem or other such occasion. It was originated by American football player Colin Kaepernick on September 1, 2016, in protest against the lack of attention given to the issues of racial inequality and police brutality in the United States. Kaepernick's protest led to a wider series of national anthem protests. It has since been adopted by sports players in countries around the world, including soccer in the United Kingdom, in solidarity with Kaepernick's protest against racism, and has been seen worldwide in non-sporting contexts such as the Black Lives Matter protests.