In the United States, some National Football League (NFL) players have knelt during the playing of the United States National Anthem at the start of games. They are doing this as a way to highlight the problem of racism in this country, or to show support for their teammates on this issue, or both. This act of protest has become a hot topic in the US, with many voices offering their opinions.

Within FIRST Robotics Competition, we’ve had a rule for years requiring team members to stand and face the flag when we play the National Anthems of all countries at an event. This past fall, we saw a very active discussion within our community about whether or not this rule should change, prompted by events in the NFL.

This is a complex situation. Tradition is important, but so is the right of people to express themselves. Considering this issue carefully, we are updating the rules for the 2018 season as shown below. These rules can be found in this section of the website.

E36: Team members, including any remaining in the pits, should exhibit peaceful behavior during the presentation of all national anthems.

E37: Traditionally, Team members stand to face the flag, remove hats, and either sing along or maintain a respectful silence during the anthems of all nations present at the event. If Team members wish to abstain, they have a right to do so, as long as they remain silent and non-disruptive.

FIRST recognizes this change may be controversial to some members of our community. Some will think it goes too far; some will think it doesn't go far enough. We hope our community will be accepting and supportive of our efforts to balance tradition with freedom of peaceful expression.

While we expect no additional changes to E36 and 37 for the 2018 season, we do want to hear your comments. Please enter them below, or email them to firstroboticscompetition@firstinspires.org.

Frank