What does it mean?

A majority eight of ten Gulf

poll respondents said athletes should not take a political stand on the playing field. US President Donald Trump planted himself in the middle of a racially charged debate, when he called on National Football League (NFL) owners to dismiss players who choose to kneel in protest, during the national anthem. It was reported in the Sport story, “Anti-Trump protest sweeps across NFL”, on gulfnews.com on September 25.

A few weeks ago, Trump defended some white nationalists and neo-Nazis in Virginia, calling them “very fine people”. Now, he has used the term, “son of a [expletive]” to describe players who kneeled to the anthem.

Political activism in sports is not new. American footballer Stephen Curry and ballet dancer Misty Copeland have both criticised Trump’s policies in the past. Boxer Muhammad Ali also spoke out against Trump’s temporary “Muslim ban”. Are Trump’s words irresponsible in an increasingly divided US? Twitter user @DrNoosh_V wrote: “So they should lose their jobs if they #TakeAKnee in protest against cops who get to keep their jobs after murder?”