U.S. Soccer has instituted a new rule that requires players to stand during the national anthem.
The measure, announced Saturday, dictates that all players playing for a U.S. team are to “stand respectfully” when the anthem is played.
New Policy added to @ussoccer bylaws: Players "shall stand respectfully during playing of national anthem @ which federation is represented" pic.twitter.com/fkVtCI1iHC
— Stuart Holden (@stuholden) March 4, 2017
There is no indication as to what the punishment would be if the directive were not followed.
This would be a direct response to the events of late summer, when a prominent U.S. women’s player took a cue from Colin Kaepernick by kneeling for the anthem in protest prior to an international friendly. It will be interesting to see if other sports in which Americans compete internationally will try to take any similar steps.
