The freshman football team in Lapeer Michigan wanted to let their fans know what they think of America.
When NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick chose to sit during the national anthem while in uniform, he stood out from the rest of the standing crowd, and not in a good way, according to many people who were outraged at what they viewed as a clearly public display of disrespect.
A freshman football team near Flint had just the opposite experience and has been applauded for their decision to go above and beyond in order to take a literal stand against a decision not to play the national anthem before the game.
When the Lapeer Lightning’s freshman football team was told by the host team announcer that the national anthem would not be played before their game, they stood as one on the sidelines and began to sing, despite there being no music.
In Michigan, schools typically choose to play the national anthem prior to the highest level of competition. That means the plan was to play the national anthem prior to the junior varsity game later that evening. The home school made a point to explain that this common decision in many communities was in no way any form of protest and that they will never refuse to play the national anthem.
Lapeer head coach Bryan Sahr said his team thought there might have been a problem with the sound system. Once they were informed that there would be no music and no national anthem before kickoff, they decided to sing anyway.
He added, “I’ve been with most of these players for three years now. They’re just an awesome group of kids. It makes me incredibly emotional and I don’t usually get emotional.”