A youth football game became racially charged after several kids decided to take a knee during the singing of the national anthem. According to WPXI, the incident took place in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania as an all-Black team from Woodland Hills took on a team from Bethel Park. All players were around 12 and 13 years old.
Before the game began, several of the Black players decided to take a knee in protest of police brutality and social injustice. However, one of the adults in the stands yelled, “If the little N-word want to take a knee, they shouldn’t be able to play.”
The parents and supporters of Woodland Hills also felt as if they were facing a form of discrimination. While attempting to buy food from the concessions stand, the Woodland Hills supporters were rudely told that they would not be served any food or snacks. Following the game, police had to escort the Woodland Hills players and supporters. Unfortunately, it resembled a scene from the 1950s.
The coach for Woodland Hills, Marcus Burkley, took to Facebook to share how the team faced racial tension and bad calls by the referees. Bethel Park is currently 97 percent White and only 1 percent Black.
The incident followed the protests by San Francisco 49ers player Colin Kaepernick and other athletes who have spoken out against racial injustice.
While singing the national anthem during in NBA game this past week, singer Leah Tysse decided to take a knee before finishing the song. She revealed her reasoning for taking a knee by posting on Facebook, “Taking a knee felt like the most patriotic thing I could do. I can not idly stand by as Black people are unlawfully profiled, harassed and killed by our law enforcement over and over without a drop of accountability.”
Kaepernick will make his first start of the season against the Buffalo Bills on Oct. 17.
