Fans at a Major League Soccer game on Wednesday booed players when they knelt for the nation anthem.
National anthem plays, all players and refs are kneeling: pic.twitter.com/WGwHCBjdiW
— Angel Madison Franco (@angelmadison_) August 13, 2020
The game was the first since the league suspended matches in March because of the coronavirus pandemic.
More than 5,000 fans attended the match between FC Dallas and Nashville SC, but they were immediately turned off when players decided to follow several other professional sports teams and take a knee during the national anthem.
FC Dallas defender Reggie Cannon called the displeased fans “absolutely disgusting” for opposing players “taking a stand for what they believe in.”
“You can’t even have support from your own fans in your own stadium. It’s baffling to me,” Cannon complained, according to Yahoo Sports.
“As a team, we try to give the best possible product on the field, and these last six months have been absolute hell for us — absolute hell,” he whined.
I asked @ReggieCannon15 about this moment, and how we felt to have his fans booing them and throwing objects as a result. This was his response: https://t.co/UrY8U4Ofrz pic.twitter.com/OZWaBpP1BR
— Angel Madison Franco (@angelmadison_) August 13, 2020
Cannon said the crowd began chanting “U.S.A.” during the anthem, but argued that kneeling does not mean he’s any less patriotic.
“They don’t understand what kneeling means. They don’t understand why we’re kneeling. They can’t see the reason. They think we’re the ignorant ones,” Cannon said.
“And it’s incredibly frustrating,” he continued. “I’m sorry to have this tone, but you have to call it for what it is.”
At least half of the country disagrees with Cannon.
In a 2018 poll, only 35% of Americans said they agree with kneeling as a form of protest.
Even a few professional players, such as the NFL’s New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, have spoken out against the practice, calling it disrespectful to the country they play for.
“I love and respect my teammates, and I stand right there with them in regard to fighting for racial equality and justice,” Brees said. “But I also stand with my grandfathers, who risked their lives for this country, and countless other military men and women who do it on a daily basis.”
