England Football Kneels Before The Opener At Wembley, Stadium Divided By Booing And Cheering

During their opening Euro 2020 game against Croatia at Wembley Stadium, England's football took a knee. According to a tweet from The Football Association, the team was preparing to protest as a gesture of unity.

When you're greeted by a collection of boos followed by cheering, how unifying can it be? About as unifying as Colin Kaepernick is here in the States.

Poor execution

Kneeling before sporting events lands poorly because sports weren't created for this. They keep tweeting the word "unite," yet they're performing gestures that draw mixed emotions in front of a large audience.

And that's all these are: gestures.

We were told Kaepernick knelt because America was rooted in racism, remember? Now suddenly England's football players feel like they're dealing with those same issues? No one's saying that everything's perfect in the States or abroad, but maybe we should celebrate what makes our countries great? Ya know, rather than fixating on what could be better?

It's entirely possible that these highly paid athletes could find ways to make a tangible difference rather than making statements. Sure, you get your face on the cover of SportsCenter by being divisive, but how impactful are you trying to be? It's become clear these players aren't learning from the failed messaging mistakes of Colin Kaepernick. It seems athletes all over the world take joy in pointing out a fire, but too few grab an extinguisher and get their hands dirty to put it out.