On Feb. 10, 2021, the National Basketball Association officially declared that all teams are required to play the national anthem before games. For the initial 13 games, the Dallas Mavericks had chosen to not play the national anthem in response to social injustices and to amplify “the voices of those who feel that the anthem does not represent them,” according to Mark Cuban, the owner of the team.

The national anthem has been a subject of disagreement for quite some time now (just see Colin Kaepernick’s protests), and it seems like a majority of Americans support the ideals behind the protests. Protests over racism, police brutality and other social issues have overwhelmed the country within recent years, yet we have seen no substantial change. Innocent people are still killed based off of skin color, women are still paid less than men and the minimum wage is considerably less than livable. America is less than short on social injustices.

With these injustices in mind, it is ironic that we enforce such strong nationalism onto a group of people who have made it incredibly clear they do not agree with such ideals. The national anthem, a song proudly describing freedom for Americans, being promoted so avidly during a time of such strong injustice and inequality is embarrassing and disappointing.

NC State teams also play the national anthem before sporting events; however, many players have chosen to kneel in protest, much like professional athletes. It is extremely apparent these issues are not limited to just celebrities and people elsewhere — these issues are local. These issues are all around us and need to be addressed.

Team owners, coaches and players should not be subject to play a song they do not support before a game, especially when the song promotes nationalistic ideals in a time when injustices are so apparent. This dispute has been going on for years now, and there are still arguments over whether or not kneeling during the anthem is acceptable. Is targeting, attacking and killing people over skin color acceptable? It is time to acknowledge the protests of injustices, rather than ignoring them. Perhaps if people are refusing to play and stand for a national anthem that does not accurately represent them then changes need to be made

Much like one has the ability to choose what shoes they wear in the morning or what to eat for breakfast, one should also be able to stand for what they believe in. If that’s not the national anthem, then it’s not the national anthem. Inequality and injustices in our current society are far more important than a song written in 1814, when slavery was still encouraged.

People should not be required to play for the national anthem because the national anthem does not stand for everyone. If we want to be able to proudly stand for the national anthem, then the nation’s systemic issues need to be addressed and fixed.