Courage, Thorns kneel during national anthem ahead of NWSL Challenge Cup opener
The National Women's Soccer League is the first professional sports league in the United States to return to action, and players made a powerful statement before the first match between the Portland Thorns and North Carolina Courage on Saturday.
During the national anthem, all players from both sides took a knee to protest racial inequality, systemic racism and police brutality while wearing Black Lives Matter T-shirts and armbands.
After they knelt, both teams released a joint statement via social media explaining why they knelt during the national anthem.
U.S. Soccer reversed its decision on kneeling during the national anthem in a board meeting earlier this month as members voted in favor of repealing the anthem policy. However, the vote is believed to not have been unanimous.
In 2017, the U.S. Soccer Federation decided to enact a policy that forced players from both U.S. squads to stand during the national anthem after USWNT star Megan Rapinoe took a knee in solidarity with former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and his protest against racial injustice and police brutality.
A majority of Americans (52 percent) now support the right for NFL players to take a knee during the national anthem, according to a poll conducted by Yahoo Sports and YouGov. So it seems they would feel the same toward U.S. Soccer players. In 2018, only 35 percent of people were OK with players taking a knee, Yahoo added.
U.S. Soccer's decision comes after the death of George Floyd and the racial injustice protests that have swept the nation as a result.
The Challenge Cup runs through the end of next month, and it appears all players will be kneeling before every match to protest racial inequality. The Thorns-Courage game will be followed up by a match between the Chicago Red Stars and Washington Spirit on Saturday afternoon.
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