Dave Meggyesy- the first anthem protestor, advocator for many player issues

Lone soldiers

Dave Meggyesy (left) protested the anthem in the late 60's. Meggyesy indirectly helped Colin Kaepernick (right) almost 40 years later.

Colin Kaepernick performed his protest in the 2016 season. Little did he know that he wasn’t the first to do so, as a guy named Dave Meggyesy would protest the anthem for a multitude of reasons almost 40 years earlier. Meggyesy would also go on to have a positive effect on players rights even after his playing time was done.

Dave Meggyesy was a member of the St.Louis Cardinals for seven years from 1963 to 1969. His stats aren’t the best, but that’s not why he is remembered. As a white linebacker for the team, Meggyesy was not a fan of President Richard Nixon’s policies. Think about the events of the 1960s- the Civil Rights era, the Vietnam War was already 10 years strong, and the Cuban Missile Crisis was also playing out. Tensions were very high in that decade.

Meggyesy resisted the act of standing for the anthem with his helmet in his left hand, and also got a petition signed by 37 of his own teammates which called for the withdrawl of troops from Vietnam. This quote from his final year in 1969 really puts it all into perspective:

"Then, in October, in solidarity with the raised fists of black-gloved Olympic sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos the year before, Meggyesy refused an NFL mandate that players hold their helmets in their left hands and salute the flag during the National Anthem. Though his protest continued for two months, it attracted only brief media attention. The night after his initial gesture, incensed callers swamped a popular local radio show. “You goddamn commie, why don’t you go to Hanoi?” someone yelled from the stands. At the team’s last home game, disgruntled fans held up a sign accusing the Cardinals of “Think[ing] Pink.”"

Shortly after that letter got in the hands of a media member, he was benched and later retired in what was the prime of his career. The league had sent messages describing their disposition to the messages Meggyesy was sending. It frustrated him, and all of this led him to publish his own book “Out of Their League” which sent shockwaves through the league and the general public of what was really going on behind the scenes.

It’s similar to what happened to Kaepernick, as there was (and is) still a debate on whether there was a collusion amongst the NFL owners and general managers about why Kaepernick wasn’t getting signed after being released from San Franciscio’s roster. Both of these men had the guts to stand up and open America’s eyes to the injustices that were and still are taking place in society.

Some may disagree, but the Black Lives Matter movement was one of the best things to happen in terms of human ethics and sports unity. With an effort from all of the players in the NFL, regardless of skin color and ethnicity, we have seen a united front that has already dropped the former team names in Washington, and the previous logo of the baseball team from Cleveland.