FC Dallas fans behave despicably in response to team kneeling during anthem

FC Dallas fans booed the players kneeling during the anthem.

Black Lives Matter demonstrations have been sweeping the country and the world as of late, and the MLS has made it clear they stand in support of the movement and the players in the league who have spoken up and/or peacefully acted in an attempt to dismantle systemic racism and promote racial equality.

During the recent MLS is Back tournament, players knelt before games, teams wore Black Lives Matter shirts, and the Black Players for Change organization led a moving pregame demonstration with fists raised in the air. Meanwhile, FC Dallas was one of the teams forced to watch the action from afar after a number of Covid-19 cases swept their ranks.

After a painfully long wait to lace up their boots and play the game they love, FC Dallas finally took to the field on Wednesday against Nashville SC to kick off the MLS regular season. One particularly notable aspect of this game was the fact that a limited number of fans were allowed in the stadium after signing liability waivers.

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With two teams itching to play and fans allowed in the stadium for the first time in many months, this should have been a positive, celebratory occasion. And yet it only took moments for the atmosphere to become sickening.

As the national anthem began to play before the game, players from both teams took a knee to protest racial discrimination and police brutality. This type of peaceful protest has been common around the world following the death of George Floyd and countless others. Not only were FC Dallas fans not supportive, they began booing their own players and throwing objects on the field.

Despite the overwhelming support that the Black Lives Matter movement has received, Wednesday was a sobering reminder of the racism and hatred that is still prevalent in our country. FC Dallas player Reggie Cannon unleashed his thoughts in an interview after the game in which he said,

"I think it was absolutely disgusting. You’ve got fans booing you for people taking a stand for what they believe in when millions of other people support this cause…We’ve got fans booing us in our own stadium. How disgraceful is that?…We asked for no anthem because we didn’t feel it was right for the anthem to be played at this moment. They ignored our wishes."

Reggie Cannon was impressively calm and collected when giving the interview, however his feelings of disgust were obvious, as they should be. Unfortunately, the sickening behavior did not end there.

Following the interview, Cannon received racist comments and death threats. The MLS and FC Dallas both made statements condemning such behavior, however how far this will go in preventing further displays of racism and hatred towards players in the league remains to be seen.

I continue to be inspired by players like Reggie Cannon and the other members of Black Players for Change, and I hope that the change they are able to bring about continues to outshine the actions of those determined to bring them down.