Athletes unite in protest against Trump

About 200 athletes from the NFL linked arms, knelt or stoodin a sign of solidarity against recenttweets from U.S. President Donald Trump. On Twitter, Trump criticized athletes who knelt during the national anthem calling their acts of protest"very disrespectful to our country." During a public event in Alabama, he also insisted that those protesting the American flag at games should be "fired." Trump's latest criticism has intensified the pushback fromNFL players. At least three team owners joined their players in protest.

• Soccer star MeganRapinoejoinsKaepernick'santhem protest

The protests started more than a year ago afterformer San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick refused to stand during the anthem as a protest of police treatment of minorities.

Other professional athletes join protests.

At a Major League Baseball game on Saturday,Oakland Athletics'catcherBruce Maxwellknelt for the anthem. The first MLB player to do so.

Colin Kaepernickrefuses to stand.

The San Francisco 49ers quarterback stayed seated during the singing of the U.S. national anthemin protest ofracial injustice in the U.S.,raising the ire of many football fans. Some veterans, however,stood by Kaepernick'ssilent actand others in the league havejoinedhim with gestures of their own. Kaepernick remains unsigned this season and some supporters believe it's because of the protests.

Anthem protests took place across the NFL on 9/11.

Before the start of the NFL's first round of regular season gameswhich happened to fall on the weekend of the 15th anniversary of 9/11 the members of the Seattle Seahawks stood on the sideline linked arm in arm in a show of unity. At the same game, four MiamiDolphins players chose to kneelandothers across the NFL made similargestures of protest.

Marcus Peters, of the Kansas City Chiefs,invoked apowerful pose during the singing of the U.S. anthem.

Jurrell Casey, Jason McCourtyand Wesley Woodyard did the samebefore theTennessee Titans andMinnesota Vikings regular season opener, as didNew England Patriots' Martellus Bennett and Devin McCourty.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodellsaid in an interview with NBC's Matt Laueron Sunday that, while he may not support the players' statements, the league protects their rights. "We encourage our players to be respectful, but they also have rights and we respect that."

Black Lives Matter resonates among pro athletes.

The recent displays of solidarity on the sidelines are far from the first.In 2014, members of the St. Louis Rams took to the field making the"hands up, don't shoot" gesture associated with protesters in Ferguson, Mo., who called attention to acts of police brutality and the shooting death of black teen Michael Brown.

LeBron James wore an'I Can't Breathe' T-shirt.

The Cleveland Cavaliers star, along with fellow NBA players Kyrie Irvine, Jarrett Jack, Kevin Garnett and several others, donned T-shirts that referenced the last words of Eric Garner, who died after being placed in a chokeholdby a New York City police officer in 2014.

L.A. Clippers reject Sterling's racial remarks.

In response to Sterling's purported comments urging a woman to not bring black people to his team's games, the Clippers turned their uniforms inside out as ashow of solidarity. The Los Angeles Clippers chose not to speak publicly about owner Donald Sterling before they faced the Golden State Warriors for Game 4 of their first-round series in 2014. Instead, they made a silent protest to generate attention.

Blue Jay Carlos Delgadospoke out against the war in Iraq.

The now-retired slugger refused to take part in the ceremonial singing of the U.S. national anthem before games in 2004 over his opposition to what he called "the stupidest war ever."

Tommie Smith and John Carlos 1straised their fists at the1968Games.

The U.S. sprinters made their famously defiant gestures on the podium at the Mexico City Olympics after coming first and thirdrespectively in the 200-metre sprint.

Their raised fists, which were made in reference to the Black Power movement, were especiallypolarizing at the time but the two have since becomechampions of human rights, recently speaking out against Russia's anti-gay stanceat the SochiGames. Australian silver medallist Peter Norman also stood in solidarity with Smith and Carlos, both of whomwere pallbearers at his funeral in 2006.

The Greatest fought the war and eventually won.

Muhammad Ali's refusal to "take part in Christian wars" in 1967 stands as one of the greatest acts of defiance by an athlete. A Muslim convert, the former heavyweight champion was called a draft dodger andhad his titles stripped for his unwavering stance. His conviction was reversed in 1971. Here's Ali speaking at an anti-Vietnam War rally in Chicago in 1967.