American soccer star Carli Lloyd had to explain why she chose to stand for the national anthem prior to a recent game.
During a Monday game against Colombia, seven of the 11 USWNT starters kneeled for the national anthem. Lloyd was one of the four players who stood, and that apparently required an explanation! (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
Lloyd said the following in part about her decision to stand for the anthem prior to the against Colombia in a video tweeted by Meredith Cash:
I think the beauty of this team is that we stand behind each other, no matter what. And you know, players decided to kneel, some players decided to stand, and at the end of the day, we have each other’s backs, and ultimately, we’re here to support one another in any way that we can and that’s what’s amazing about this team.
You can watch her full comments below.
Here is Carli Lloyd’s explanation for standing during the national anthem before yesterday’s #USWNT game against Colombia. Shout out to @thegoalkeeper for asking the question: pic.twitter.com/u6uaejPu3A
— Meredith Cash (@mercash22) January 19, 2021
Obviously, Lloyd didn’t say much at all. She didn’t dive into specifics, but it’s just sad that we’re even at a point where standing for the anthem requires an explanation.
Shouldn’t standing be the default position? I guess standing for the anthem is now so divisive that it requires an explanation.
Carli Lloyd stood as Megan Rapinoe and her Black teammates kneeled during the pregame national anthem on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Mere hours later, she insisted that the #USWNT “has each other’s backs” (me for @SportsInsider): https://t.co/Y75KVirUyX
— Meredith Cash (@mercash22) January 19, 2021
This is very similar to when Miami Heat center Meyers Leonard had to defend standing for the anthem during the summer.
It just makes no sense. As Americans, we should be proud to stand for the national anthem. Unfortunately, that seems a bit lost in the world of sports.
Meyers Leonard of the Miami Heat stood for the national anthem before his team played the Denver Nuggets.
He also makes this clear: “I absolutely believe Black Lives Matter,” he said.
More from @bytimreynolds >> https://t.co/MpmqqwrBkO pic.twitter.com/wTlXdkF1pa
— AP Sports (@AP_Sports) August 1, 2020
Lloyd did nothing wrong, and the idea she should explain standing to anyone is laughable.