Players Kneel During Anthem as NWSL Challenge Cup Kicks Off
As the NWSL became the first contact sports league to return after the coronavirus shut down, the league resumed with a show of unity, as players on both sides took a knee during the National Anthem before Saturday’s NWSL Challenge Cup kicked off.
The starting lineups as well as bench players from the Portland Thorns and North Carolina Courage sported Black Lives Matter shirts in the pregame display.
This comes after the U.S. Soccer's Board of Directors voted recently to repeal a policy that required players to stand during the national anthem, a policy that was originally put in place after Megan Rapinoe kneeled during the anthem in support of Colin Kaepernick before a 2016 NWSL game.
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