At an Alabama rally on Sept. 22, President Donald Trump said the National Football League should fire players such as former 49ers player Colin Kaepernick who protest police brutality and racism in America by kneeling during the National Anthem.

“Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, you’d say, ‘Get that [expletive] off the field right now. Out! He’s fired,” Trump said.

To present a unified front against Trump’s comments, players have knelt during or before the anthem and/or linking arms during the anthem. While it is powerful to witness team members banding together against insults and threats, this new wave of protests misconstrues the initial effort to bring awareness to racism injustice. A protest that began with Colin Kaepernick’s refusal to stand for a country that treats him and other minorities unjustly has morphed into a protest against Trump.

Because the meaning of kneeling has been diluted and turned into a symbol of unity rather than anti-racism, players have begun raising their fists during the anthem as well, a symbol that represents black power. Several Cleveland Brown players and Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton were among those who raised their fists. Teams such as the Seattle Seahawks also have linked arms as they stand, mirroring civil rights movements of the 1960s where civil rights leaders locked arms as they marched in Alabama. Trump supported this action, tweeting “Standing with locked arms is good, kneeling is not acceptable. Bad ratings!” on Sept. 24. On Oct. 1, about 30 of the 49ers, Kaepernick’s former team, kneeled during the anthem, all with their hands on their hearts. The protest has also spread to local communities. Texas teenagers Larry McCullough and Cedric “CJ” Ingram Lewis were kicked off their football team, McCullough for kneeling and Lewis for raising his fist. They were instructed to take off their uniforms and leave the field immediately by their coach. The boys said they needed to take a stand for racial injustice like their idols in the NFL.

Crowds boo players that kneel. Coaches threaten to take players off teams, and many face social backlash. Kaepernick filed a grievance against the NFL teams, accusing them of working together to keep him unemployed.

Many wonder why players would disrespect the flag and America to protest racial injustice. Even more think this form of protest is hurting the cause, not helping it, and want the players to find a more respectful way to protest police brutality. However, players who are directly affected by racism everyday, despite their fame and fortune, have no better opportunity than this exact moment to represent what they believe in. With hundreds of thousands of eyes on them, they are taking a risk to lose their jobs for an issue prominent and important to them and all minorities. This approach is silent, nonviolent and nondisruptive.

Ratings for televised football games are decreasing and it is unclear whether it’s due to the protests or other factors, such as the already declining viewership. Even if the loss of viewers is because of the players kneeling, social justice and advocating for the rights of people of color in a peaceful way is more important than business in this scenario. NFL owners and players met in Manhattan Oct. 17-18 to discuss a rule to force players to stand. No rule was passed, but some coaches said they would prefer their players to stand.

Players have the right to advocate for what they believe in. Kneeling during the National Anthem is not a protest against the flag, military or country. It is instead a protest for the difference between the line “all men are equal” to the actual racism and experiences of minorities in this country, especially black men, who make up a large percentage of the National Football League. Claiming that kneeling instead of standing is disrespectful to the flag is hypocritical considering using the flag in advertising and wearing the flag on clothing is also considered disrespectful in the National Flag Code.

Kneeling during the National Anthem is one of the best ways for players to represent what they believe in in the most peaceful and non disruptive way.