I remember the first time I saw Colin Kaepernick take a knee during the national anthem back in 2016. I was watching a preseason game, more out of habit than anything else, and the image stopped me cold. It wasn’t a dramatic, fist-in-the-air gesture; it was quiet, deliberate, and profoundly disruptive. As a researcher who has spent years studying the intersection of sports, society, and political expression, I knew immediately this was a watershed moment. The kneel football protest movement, which began as a solitary act by one quarterback, has since evolved into a complex global phenomenon, reshaping conversations about race, patriotism, and the role of the athlete in modern society. Its journey from the sidelines of NFL games to the center of a raging cultural and political debate is a story of courage, backlash, and unexpected transformation.

The initial spark was Kaepernick’s silent protest against police brutality and systemic racial injustice. He later explained that he could not stand to show pride for a flag that, in his view, oppressed black people and people of color. The reaction was swift and polarized. Supporters hailed him as a brave activist using his platform for necessary social commentary, while critics, including the then-President of the United States, labeled the act disrespectful to the military and the nation itself. The NFL, that colossal engine of American culture, found itself in an impossible bind. For a league where roughly 70% of the players are Black but ownership and fan demographics tell a different story, this was a direct challenge to its carefully managed, apolitical brand. I followed the league’s hesitant, often clumsy responses closely—the attempts to broker quiet compromises, the implementation of a short-lived policy requiring players to stand if on the field, the eventual massive financial commitments to social justice causes. It was a masterclass in institutional crisis management, or perhaps the lack thereof. Kaepernick himself paid the ultimate professional price, effectively being blackballed from the league at the peak of his career, a fact that for many proved his point about systemic power structures.

What fascinates me most, however, is how the protest evolved and metastasized beyond its American origins. The gesture became a universal symbol of solidarity with the oppressed. We saw it adopted by athletes in soccer, rugby, and even cricket around the world. In the UK, players took a knee in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, making it a standard pre-match ritual for entire leagues. This global resonance was something I don’t think even the movement’s most ardent supporters initially predicted. The power was in its simplicity: a knee is not a violent act; it is a posture of submission turned into one of defiant, peaceful resistance. It created a visual grammar that transcended language barriers. Yet, this very adoption also led to dilution and co-option. In some contexts, “taking the knee” became a performative, almost mandatory act, stripped of its original, specific political context and raw emotional charge. Corporations and leagues eagerly embraced the symbol while often sidestepping the harder, more concrete demands for structural change that originally underpinned it.

The impact, though, is undeniable and multifaceted. Commercially, the NFL’s television ratings saw a dip of nearly 10% during the peak of the controversy, a number often hotly debated but indicative of real fan alienation. Culturally, it forced a generation of sports fans, including myself during many a heated discussion with colleagues and friends, to confront uncomfortable questions about race and national identity. Do we watch sports for escape, or are they an integral part of our social fabric? Can an athlete be both a performer and a citizen? The movement also paved the way for a new era of athlete empowerment. Today, stars across sports feel emboldened to speak out on issues from voting rights to gender equality, knowing that the precedent of the kneel protest, for all its controversy, broke the old mold of the “shut up and play” athlete. Personally, I believe this is a healthy development. Sports have never been a politics-free zone; they’ve always reflected the tensions and triumphs of their times. The kneel protest simply made that reflection impossible to ignore.

In retrospect, the journey of the kneel protest mirrors a broader, global struggle over symbols and space. It started as a specific, targeted act of conscience and grew into a sprawling, sometimes messy, international dialogue. While Kaepernick may not have an NFL team, his legacy is arguably more profound than any Super Bowl ring. He demonstrated that the playing field is also a platform, and that sometimes, the most powerful statement an athlete can make isn’t with their arm or their feet, but with a simple, silent bend of the knee. The conversation it sparked is far from over, but it irrevocably changed the game. For researchers like me, it provided a rich, real-time case study. For society, it held up an unforgiving mirror. And for athletes everywhere, it quietly whispered a new possibility: that their voice could matter as much as their victory.

LIGHTING, LIGHTING, AND MORE LIGHTING
People are typically drawn to bars solely based on their atmosphere. The best way to knock your next commercial bar design out of the park is using the perfect amount and type of lighting. Use standout light fixtures as their very own statement piece, track lighting for adjustable ambiance, hanging pendant lights over tables, and ambient backlighting to display the alcohol. Bartenders need to serve and customers need to order, so make sure it’s just functional as it is attractive. 

CHOOSING YOUR BARTOP
What may seem so obvious, is often so overlooked in commercial bar design- the material of your actual bartop itself. While we realize stone and marble are as classy and elegant-looking as can be, the reality is that they just aren’t your best option for a durable and long lasting bartop. They crack, have no grip, and break way too many glasses. Opt for a high-quality wood bar instead. Oaks, maples, mahoganies, and ashes are sturdy and provide your customers with a firm grip for their glasses. 

THEME 
In a sea of millions upon millions of bars, how can you make your commercial bar design stand apart from the rest? The answer is to pick a unique, centralized theme and run with it. Whether it’s your next sit-down restaurant bar design, or remodeling the small, locally-favorite gem, you have to find out what your clientele wants. Survey the neighborhood of your establishment and find out what the demographics are there. Maybe a gritty, western bar would be a hit. Or maybe a more modern, sleek design is what’s missing in the area. Whatever theme you decide upon, hit it out of the park with the perfect lighting, wall art, music, and furniture. It’s all in the details. 

THE GUIDE TO YOUR NEXT RESTOBAR 
You’ve got the food, you’ve got the restaurant, you’ve got the customers, now all you need is a beautifully designed bar to top it all off.  Small bar designs for restaurants have a tendency to be a little thrown together and incohesive with the rest of the establishment. Stay on brand- create consistency with tying in the same color scheme, furniture, art, and overall ambiance of the pre-existing restaurant. Make sure the placement of your bar makes sense as well, have it in a place where it’s visible and easy to navigate but not in the way of servers and other guests. If the bar is going to serve food, be sure to consider the location of the kitchen to not obstruct traffic flow. Consider all of these small tips as you work through your next restaurant bar design. 

SPACE CONSTRAINT 
It’s no secret that bars have the reputation of being a little cramped, and in some cases- way too cramped. Consider all of the space constraints while designing your next commercial bar design and we can change that bad rap that bars have been holding for far too long. First and foremost, be sure to measure your bar, barstool, cabinet, and equipment height. Generally, a bar is 42” in height while a stool is 30” in height. Also be sure to allow at least 3’ of space between the bar and the alcohol for the bartender’s functionality and efficiency. Consider multiple register and drink-making stations for bartenders as well. Allowing 2’ between patrons is going to give them enough space to eat and drink, and most importantly, simply be comfortable. All of these considerations are especially helpful if it is a restaurant bar design, where the space is even more valuable.