Take a knee
take a/the knee – locuzione
Tuberville took a knee with a minute to go.
The Huskies opted to take the knee to run out the clock.
He later transitioned to taking a knee in protest – saying he was doing so to show more respect for military veterans.
Millions of viewers witnessed American football players, among other athletes and celebrities, “take a knee” during the playing of the US national anthem ahead of kickoff.
Soldiers take a knee in front of a fallen brother’s grave, you know, to show respect.
La locuzione take a knee (o meno di frequente take the knee) viene dal football americano e descrive l’azione del quarterback della squadra in vantaggio che, a pochi secondi dalla fine, si inginocchia (poggiando un solo ginocchio a terra) con la palla in mano per fermare il gioco lasciando trascorrere il tempo.
Il take a knee di cui le news si sono occupate di recente rimane in ambito sportivo ma non ha niente a che fare con le regole del gioco: è la forma di protesta messa in atto da alcuni giocatori neri durante l’inno nazionale prima di una partita del campionato NFL. Una protesta pacifica nei confronti della disuguaglianza razziale negli Stati Uniti e del brutale trattamento della popolazione di colore da parte della polizia che ha scatenato le ire del Presidente; Trump ha twittato che l’azione dei giocatori dimostra mancanza di rispetto per la bandiera e per chi ha dato la vita per difenderla e, chiedendo il licenziamento dei colpevoli, ha esortato il boicottaggio dello sport finché la protesta va avanti.
Origini del termine
Il primo giocatore a mettere in atto questa forma di protesta silenziosa è stato il quarterback dei San Francisco 49ers Colin Kaepernick, che durante la stagione 2016 si è rifiutato di stare in piedi durante l’inno nazionale, prima restando seduto in panchina e poi inginocchiandosi. Sempre più giocatori hanno seguito man mano il suo esempio e dal football americano la protesta si è estesa ad altri sport, con squadre che rimangono negli spogliatoi durante l’inno o giocatori che formano una catena prendendosi sottobraccio, in segno di solidarietà alla causa. Ben Zimmer, giornalista del Wall Street Journal, fa risalire l’espressione al 1960.
Traduzione di Loredana Riu
take a/the knee – phrase
Tuberville took a knee with a minute to go.
The Huskies opted to take the knee to run out the clock.
He later transitioned to taking a knee in protest – saying he was doing so to show more respect for military veterans.
Millions of viewers witnessed American football players, among other athletes and celebrities, “take a knee” during the playing of the US national anthem ahead of kickoff.
Soldiers take a knee in front of a fallen brother’s grave, you know, to show respect.
The phrase take a knee (or less frequently take the knee) comes from American football, where it refers to an action carried out by a player during the course of play. It occurs when a quarterback ends play by going down on one knee, usually near the end of the first half or the game itself, and is a way of preventing the team that is behind from gaining control of the ball and snatching away the winning team’s lead.
The expression has been in the news recently for reasons connected with American football but unrelated to the rules of the game, as some black players have taken to going down on one knee during the playing of the national anthem before NFL (National Football League) games. This form of protest against police brutality towards black people and racial inequality in the US has drawn the ire of the President, who has tweeted that the players’ actions disrespect the US flag and military, that players who do this should be sacked, and that those who agree with him should boycott the sport until the protests cease.
Origin
The first player to carry out this act of silent protest was San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick who first sat on the benches then knelt during his team’s preseason games in 2016. His action was taken up by some of his colleagues during the 2016 season and more particularly during the current season, when hundreds of players have knelt and the protest has spread to other sports. Some teams have remained in the changing rooms during the anthem while others have linked arms in order to show solidarity. The Wall Street Journal’s Ben Zimmer has dated the expression to 1960.
