A whole high school baseball team in Iowa took a knee during the national anthem on Monday night, as the sports world returns.
According to WHO 13 in Des Moines, the entire Roosevelt High School baseball team knelt prior to their game against Ankeny Centennial.
Roosevelt Activities Manager Tracy Johnson said he felt “good” to see the team “express themselves.”
“It made me feel good because our kids are in it together,” Johnson said. “We want those kids to be able to express themselves, and it was neat for us to see all of our kids do that.”
Roosevelt senior Alex Pendergast emphasized that the protest was not meant to disrespect the flag.
“No disrespect to the flag,” Pendergast said. “It’s simply to bring attention to the issues at hand, and I think we did the right thing.”
Pendergast’s statement that anthem protests do not disrespect the flag, echoes the sentiment expressed by NFL players such as JJ Watt. Who said over the weekend that those who think the protests are about the flag are “not listening.”
Of course, if the anthem protests were not meant to disrespect the flag, one could reasonably ask why protesters are choosing the moment reserved for standing in respect for the flag as the time to protest.
“Iowa is the first state in the country to resume high school sports since the COVID-19 shutdown began,” WHO 13 reports. “Iowa’s summer baseball and softball programs began action Monday.”
Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter @themightygwinn