Stand up for anthems

US President Donald Trump has taken flak for saying that “if a player wants the privilege of making millions of dollars in the National Football League or other leagues, he or she should not be allowed to disrespect our great American flag and should stand for the national anthem”.

He was referring to former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who consistently knelt during the playing of the national anthem to protest against social injustice in the US. A number of sportsmen and team managers responded heatedly by saying that National Basketball Association teams would no longer visit the White House.

But Trump is correct. Standing and singing the national anthem is a patriotic trait that citizens of any country should honour. In SA, where the past has been inglorious, it would be deemed irreverent and rude not to stand, regardless of one’s political views.

A national anthem demands respect.

Nathan Cheiman Northcliff