https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxFOtABMdvU

Should NFL players be allowed to kneel as a gesture of protest during the national anthem or should they be expected and even required to stand?

The president tweets, players respond, and the mainstream media turns the nation's attention to this debate over free speech at football games. As Jason Andrews, co-founder of Advocate.io, said in his op-ed this week, we then are expected to take a side.

Meanwhile, as Gov. Gary Johnson pointed out this week, North Korea is stepping up its war rhetoric, Puerto Rico is still in dire need of help after being devastated by Hurricane Maria, and the health care debate rages on, while Congress fails to do anything one way or another.

But the national anthem debate is not going away. NFL players and team staff once again linked arms Thursday as a sign of solidarity, while the president maintains his position that players should not be allowed to disrespect the flag or the national anthem.

We asked IVN readers to respond to the issue earlier this week on Facebook. Here are the results:

Over 7,200 readers responded to the poll. An overwhelming majority of respondents agreed that players should be allowed to do what they want. Stand, kneel, it is the player's choice. Still, nearly 1,500 people said players should stand.

Here is what some of IVN's readers had to say:

Where do you stand on the issue? Stand? Kneel? Move on? You can weigh in on the Facebook post here and add to the 900 comments already posted.

Photo Credit: AP