#Most Americans think it’s OK to kneel during the national anthem

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Jackie Bradley Jr. of the Boston Red Sox kneeling during the national anthem.
AP Photo/John Minchillo

The majority of Americans are okay with athletes taking a knee during the national anthem, according to a new poll — but there was a steep divide along racial and political lines.

A CBS News survey released Thursday of more than 2,000 adults found 58 percent think it’s acceptable for pro players to kneel in protest during the Star-Spangled Banner.

The numbers show that only 48 percent of white people polled were on board with the protests, compared to 88 percent among black residents, and 62 percent of Hispanics.

Politics also made a difference, as 88 percent of Democrats surveyed thought it was acceptable take a knee, with 55 percent of independent voters agreeing — but only 23 percent of Republicans shared their viewpoint.

In fact, 77 percent of GOP voters found it unacceptable, as did 45 percent of independents and 12 percent of Democrats.

There was a wider political divide among white voters — 85 percent of white Democrats thought it was acceptable to kneel compared to just 18 percent of white Republicans.

“There is a relationship between views of the aims of the Black Lives Matter movement and opinions of protest during the anthem,” CBS said. “Most of those who agree with the ideas of Black Lives Matter see kneeling during the national anthem as an acceptable form of protest, while those who disagree find it unacceptable.”

Age also made a difference, with 74 percent of folks between 18 and 29 in favor, and only 43 percent of people 65 or over agreeing.

The practice of kneeling during the anthem to protest racial injustice in the US began with National Football League players in 2016, with then-San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick eventually becoming the face of the practice.

Some Major League Baseball players have begun to kneel prior to the anthem being played after the shortened baseball season kicked off this month — a more subtle show of solidarity.

But President Donald Trump has made it clear he’s not a fan of the protests.

“Looking forward to live sports, but any time I witness a player kneeling during the National Anthem, a sign of great disrespect for our Country and our Flag, the game is over for me!” the president said on Twitter last week.