By Allie Arcidiacono and Kennedy Lozano

When SMU band members and dozens of other students kneeled during the national anthem on Friday, news of their protest quickly spread throughout the country. News outlets such as The Washington Post, Sports Illustrated, ABC News and USA Today wrote about the protest.

The Washington Post’s Marissa Payne mentioned that the SMU protest “appears to be the first time members of a college marching band have joined in the national anthem protests,” which were popularized by Colin Kaepernick, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback who started this silent protest in August. Payne’s report has drawn 33 comments from Post readers with reactions from individuals expressing their opinions.

The Sports Illustrated post briefly touched on the protest and included a quote from SMU student Coda Boyce, who attended the game.

On ABC News, ESPN’s Max Olson noted that members of the SMU football team wore a special decal of the Dallas skyline on their helmets to pay tribute to the Dallas police officers who were slain during an ambush attack in July.

USA Today’s coverage included news from last week that a group of students protested in the stands while the national anthem played during the TCU vs Iowa State game.

SMU marching band members kneel while playing national anthem https://t.co/ov65b6aoud pic.twitter.com/cBOP5QRhy6

— Washington Post (@washingtonpost) September 24, 2016

Professional athletes participating in the national anthem protest include NFL players Malcolm Jenkins and Antonio Cromartie as well as Seattle Reign FC soccer player Megan Rapinoe.

At the University of North Carolina on Saturday, African-American and Caucasian band members and fans took a knee while the national anthem played. African-American cheerleaders from Howard University have also joined this movement.