Abstract
The purpose of this study was to research how current and former National Football League (NFL) players and a National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) executive director used Twitter to defend protests started by Colin Kaepernick in response to backlash from President Donald Trump. Colin Kaepernick’s protest was kneeling during the National Anthem prior to NFL games, hoping to bring light to social injustices occurring in American society. I have used ideological criticism through the theoretical perspective of Critical Race Theory to analyze a selection of 41 tweets from 31 individuals. Throughout this study, I concluded that race is institutionalized in contemporary American society. From that, the tweeters addressed four main themes: Attacks on Trump, Racial Solidarity and Action, Rights and Freedom, and Charlottesville Mentions and Comparisons. It is my hope that current and future athletes continue to use their platform to speak out against issues outside of the sporting world.
Advisor
Bostdorff, Denise
Department
Communication Studies
Recommended Citation
Stacho, Scot, "Taking a Stand by Taking A Knee: How NFL Players and a NFLPA Executive Used Twitter to Defend Kaepernick's Protest" (2018). Senior Independent Study Theses. Paper 8029.
https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy/8029
Disciplines
Arts and Humanities
Keywords
racism, protest, Critical Race Theory, Twitter
Publication Date
2018
Degree Granted
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type
Senior Independent Study Thesis
© Copyright 2018 Scot Stacho