Growing network of national anthem protests
These past few weeks, we have seen a growing number of professional athletes kneel or sit during the national anthem to protest racial inequalities in this country. The 49ers quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, was the first to start this movement and was quickly joined by teammate Eric Reid. The two have been doing this since the start of the month and seem to have their minds set on continuing to do so. The story has made headlines nationwide, and many other players have followed Kaepernick’s example. So far, players on the 49ers, Dolphins, Seahawks, Broncos, Chargers, Chiefs, Patriots, and Rams have sat, knelt, or even held a fist in the air during the anthem to express their distaste with the current social injustice that they believe is prevalent in society. In fact, even USWNT star Megan Rapinoe knelt during the anthem while wearing the American uniform before a game on Thursday.
This growing number of atheletes that are joining Kaepernick’s movement represents the spread of information through a network of weak ties. While most of these players are not particularly good friends or even teammates, they all know of each other due to the news sources we have available in today’s society. The technology available to us makes it incredibly easy for information to spread, for example through the network of NFL players. It is likely that many of these players have never met Kaepernick (with the obvious exception of his teammate Reid), but their network has quickly become aware of the social issues he is trying to call attention to due to the many weak ties within the league.