Magic forward Jonathan Isaac, Heat big Meyers Leonard and Spurs coaches Gregg Popovich and Becky Hammon drew plenty of attention for standing during the national anthem while nearly all NBA players, coaches and referees kneeled.
Referee Brent Barnaky also stood.
Tim Bontemps of ESPN:
In a statement to ESPN, referee Brent Barnaky explains his decision to stand for the national anthem before yesterday’s Celtics-Bucks game: pic.twitter.com/WBRBq4NCkl
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) August 1, 2020
This isn’t much of an explanation. Nor does it need to be. Barnaky explained that he wasn’t countering the message of kneeling players (opposing racism, particularly through police brutality). That’s sufficient for Barnaky to maintain his neutral positioning – important for an official.
For decades, nearly everyone stood for the national anthem. For many people, that was just about following norms. Even NBA players espousing social-justice messaging previously stood for the national anthem.
But Colin Kaepernick’s brave defiance caused some people to thoughtfully consider their national-anthem posture. So, while many people continued to stand for the national anthem because that’s just was done, some made deliberate choices based on their own values. Sometimes, that led to kneeling. Sometimes, that led to standing.
The thoughtful standers blended into the crowd… until kneeling became widespread in the NBA. Now, they’re the noticeable outliers within the league.
It can take courage to go against the grain. I commend Barnaky for that – and for voicing his support for social justice and peaceful protest.
Barnaky made a personal choice that can stand alone. It doesn’t undermine what anyone else is doing.
