Stricker: U.S. team will stand for National Anthem

JERSEY CITY, N.J. – The wave of athlete protests that began with Colin Kaepernick, then picked up steam in recent days after President Trump urged NFL owners to single out players who refuse to stand for the national anthem, is not expected to spread to the Presidents Cup at Liberty National. Steve Stricker, captain of the U.S. team that will take on the International side in this biennial team competition Thursday through Sunday, said he and his players met about the issue and unanimously agreed on how to approach it. “Right away,� Stricker said Tuesday, when asked when he’d met with his four assistant captains to talk about the matter. “We were on it. We were talking about it Sunday night, and then we met with the players a little bit last night, and then on the bus again this morning before going to the TODAY show, because we knew it was going to come up there.� The American team’s plan, Stricker said, is to stand, remove their caps, and respect the flag as usual during Thursday’s playing of the national anthem, which will be sung by Darius Rucker during the opening ceremony. The issue of athlete dissent picked up new momentum recently when Golden State Warriors star Stephan Curry was asked, hypothetically, whether he would visit the White House. His hesitation brought a tweeted response from President Trump, which itself brought a response from Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James. The issue quickly crossed over into other sports, with NFL players, coaches and even owners taking a stance on the issues of free speech and the role of politics in sports. Winter Olympic athletes weighed in. Stricker wanted to make sure his team discussed it and allow any member the opportunity to weigh in. “I asked the guys this morning on the bus: ‘How do you want to handle it? What do you want to do?’� Stricker said. “There was no hesitation. It is what it is. It’s hard for me to speak about it. To me, I’m very passionate about the flag and what it stands for, and respect it, but I know there’s inequalities and injustices going on all around us. “I read a great article by a retired general in USA Today, about how he used to watch sports, and how excited he was to watch sports for the national anthem, that three or four minutes where players come together, people in the stands come together, and forget about their differences.� Stricker said he liked the piece so much, he made copies for his whole team, sparking what he described as a good conversation on the matter. “It was up to them,� he said of his players.

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