Portland Thorns and NWSL’s North Carolina Courage were the first to kneel, just before playing in Game 1 of the Challenge Cup tournament at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman, Utah. Both teams knelt during the National Anthem while wearing T-shirts that said Black Lives Matter.
Players from the Chicago Red Stars, Washington Spirit, OL Reign and Sky Blue FC also knelt in each of their opening games.
On Tuesday, coaches, staff members, and even party officials knelt during the National Anthem before a game between the Houston Dash and Utah Royals FC.
On Monday, the NWSL had announced that players now have the option of being on the field or staying in the locker room during the National Anthem. This decision was made after talks with players from across the league, as well as club officials and other interested parties, a press release said.
“We will continue to play the National Anthem, but with more flexibility and we will support each player’s right to express their individual views, or not,” said NWSL Commissioner Lisa Baird.
“The NWSL is behind every player, officer and staff member. Kneel down on the field. Stand with your hand over your heart. Honor your feelings in the privacy of the locker room or in the midfield. The NWSL is a league built on diversity. and courage and those principles will continue to propel us forward. “
North Carolina Courage and Portland Thorns NWSL players released a joint statement Saturday explaining their decision to kneel during the National Anthem:
“We kneel today to protest racial injustice, police brutality, and systemic racism against blacks and people of color in the United States. We love our country and have taken this opportunity to keep it at a higher level. It is our duty. demand that the freedoms and liberties on which this nation was founded extend to all. ”
The protests overshadowed the importance of the first professional team sport returning in the midst of the pandemic.
Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick began kneeling down during the 2016 National Anthem to protest brutality and police oppression. Today, protests against racism and police brutality continue in the United States after the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Rayshard Brooks.
While players from different sports have knelt in protest in one form or another, having almost every player on each NWSL team kneeling together was a powerful display.
Major League Soccer, which is the leading men’s league in the US, is choosing not to play the National Anthem due to a lack of fans in the stands.
The NWSL Challenge Cup is a 30-day tournament that takes the place of the regularly scheduled 2020 season of the league, which generally runs from April to October with all nine teams playing 24 games.
CNN’s Alisha Ebrahimji, Homero De la Fuente and Jacob Lev contributed to this report.
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