I don't understand what they are EACH protesting either. Some are protesting the anthem, some are protesting police brutality, some are protesting racism or racial inequality etc. That has been the problem with this "protest", it does/did not necessarily have an achievable end result in mind. I understand that it was "designed" to raise awareness, but the message got lost in the method.
Many people took it as disrespect to the country and or the military, or attached their own meaning without necessarily understanding what each individual player hoped to achieve through his protest. So it is understandable that the message is lost on many...
(by the way, I am not saying they don't have the right to use their platform as they see fit, and I am definitely not in the "shut up and play" camp, I am just pointing out that the message got muddled because of how the masses interpreted the way the protests were carried out.)