US Soccer Federation Lifts Their Ban On Kneeling During The American National Anthem

(NBC)-- The United States Soccer Federation’s Board of Directors voted to repeal Policy 604-1, which required players to stand during the national anthem, and players and key figures surrounding the USMNT and USWNT have shared their reaction.

The anthem policy was put in place by US Soccer in 2017 after Megan Rapinoe knelt in peaceful protest of police brutality and the oppression of people of color in the United States, inspired by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

USSF to Megan Rapinoe...

Congratulations to the United States Soccer Federation for admitting and correcting their mistake for the first time in the history of the organization. The entire country has seemingly shifted their views at least a little on this particular form of protest so it's good that our National Soccer team is doing the same. They did so in an almost unanimous vote. 604 to 1. Which begs the question…why the FUCK does the USSF have a governing body with 605 voting members? That's more than the entire Congress of the United States and we are talking about fucking SOCCER. 605 is the number of MLS season ticket holders. It's no wonder why American soccer can't take that next step to become a world power. Way too many cooks in the kitchen, or at least that is how it seems. 

Also, it would be cool if the US Soccer Federation took this time and really invested in the inner cities of America. All over the world, soccer is a sport that dominates the inner city. In the US, soccer is largely a suburban sport with fancy academies and travel teams etc. If you help the people in the inner cities and give them an opportunity it will almost certainly be better for the US Soccer program in the long term. And you know what…that is probably true of all organizations. A lesson that the USSF can lead the way on.