The Miami Heat are scheduled to kick off their preseason when they visit the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night.

As expected, there has already been a lot of talk on how the team and its players will show their protest during the singing of the national anthem. In light of this, the team will hold a meeting before the start of the game to discuss their plan on this controversial issue.

The series of protests was started by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick when he refused to stand when The Star Spangled Banner was being sung. A number of professional athletes have followed suit with their own stand, but all in protest of the concerns hounding society today.

Two members of the Heat have mothers who served in the military and have each shared their opinion about the public demonstrations of athletes. As reported by Shandel Richardson of the Sun Sentinel, Tyler Johnson had this to say:

“I do think it's important for the whole team to kind of be on the same page on what exactly we're doing. If anybody on this team had their own ideas about what they wanted to do for the national anthem, I don't have a say in it.”

The team's other guard, Josh Richardson, gave his take on the matter and admitted that it is a sensitive topic but has nothing against the acts done by players:

“It's a touchy subject, guys feel how they feel. I'm not a person to knock somebody on them acting on something that they feel if they're not breaking the law. It's not like they're shooting anybody. It's a peaceful protest and I'm fine with it.”

The Miami Heat have been known to be one of the teams that do not shy away from social issues. It can be recalled that back in 2012 they wore black hoodies and posted for a picture to show that they are against the pointless shooting for African-American teenager Trayvon Martin.

heat-hoodies
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Head coach Erik Spoelstra discussed what he thinks is needed to make a change and also what the team's focus is on:

“We're all sick about what we're seeing and what's happening, I think what it's done is it sparked great dialogue, needed dialogue and our players do want to take action.”

“We're not necessarily focusing on the national anthem, It's a social issue. … As an organization, and what Micky and Pat and myself have talked about, is what kind of action to take.”

Expect a lot more chatter about these protests throughout the season. For what it's worth, these acts have all been talked about and have caused quite a stir. Athletes, in their own way, want to influence change, and, fortunately, the league they play for have respected their rights.