March Madness begins with players kneeling during the national anthem

The NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament first round began Friday afternoon

Some college basketball players competing in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament on Friday took a knee during the national anthem before their games started.

Players on Colgate and Ohio State were seen kneeling during the national anthem before their game. Colgate, a No. 14 seed, was taking on No. 3 Arkansas. Ohio State players were seen kneeling before their game against Oral Roberts. According to the Associated Press, Virginia Tech, Florida and Drexel players also knelt before their games.

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College basketball players started the season taking a knee during the national anthem to protest against racial injustice and police brutality. But several more issues have arisen since the start of the season.

Before games tipped off on Thursday and Friday, players on Michigan, Rutgers and Iowa urged the NCAA to end amateurism so student-athletes can benefit from their names, images and likenesses. Those players tweeted their demands to the NCAA with the #NotNCAAProperty.

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Players have also hit out at the NCAA for the disparity between the bubble setups at the Indianapolis site, where the men are playing, and the San Antonio site, where the women are playing.

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Photos and videos circulated across social media Thursday and Friday showing the differences in the weight rooms, food selection and swag bags that the men and women get during the tournament.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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