College basketball players open March Madness by kneeling during anthem
As March Madness began over the weekend, players from several teams kneeled during the national anthem.
The entire Georgetown University basketball team kneeled during the National Anthem.
As the NCAA’s March Madness basketball tournament began over the weekend, many players kneeled during the national anthem.
The entirety of Georgetown University’s team kneeled before their game against the University of Colorado. Georgetown lost by a margin of 23 points against the Buffaloes.
Georgetown team taking a knee in unison for anthem: pic.twitter.com/Jf5k96nrG5
— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) March 20, 2021
Likewise, five members of the Ohio State Buckeyes kneeled preceding their game against Oral Roberts.
Five Ohio State players kneel for the national anthem prior to the game against Oral Roberts. pic.twitter.com/iIN97IkdBJ
— Colin Hass-Hill (@chasshill) March 19, 2021
Members of Colgate University’s team kneeled before taking on the University of Arkansas’s team.
Several Colgate players took a knee during national anthem here. pic.twitter.com/cdh8uV42uk
— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) March 19, 2021
Several players on the teams of Drexel University, the University of Florida, and Virginia Tech took a knee before their matches, as the Associated Press reports.
[RELATED: Despite health hazard, Boston University basketball team will wear masks all season]
The gesture of kneeling during the national anthem originated with football player Colin Kaepernick. During his time as quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, Kaepernick took a knee during the national anthem in recognition of police brutality and racial inequality.
As Campus Reform previously reported, Kaepernick has since enlisted the help of American academics in his racial activism.
In 2020, Kaepernick’s publishing organization sponsored a series of essays about racism for his “Abolition for the People” project. In her essay, Princeton University professor Naomi Murakawa said that policing is “inherently predatory and violent.”
[RELATED: Colin Kaepernick endorsed Princeton prof: Police are ‘inherently predatory and violent’]
Campus Reform reached out to the aforementioned universities for comment; this article will be updated accordingly.
Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @BenZeisloft
