Colin Kaepernick may be the most popular athlete in the NFL this season. No, not a single down has been played yet and there are, thus far, no indications that Kaepernick will have an MVP level season. Instead Kaepernick is making headlines for his own form of protest: sitting down during the national anthem before games. The 49ers QB cited his reason for abstaining from the tradition as being fed up with the treatment of African Americans in America. This move has had America divided for the past week ever since it first started, but the fact Kaepernick is choosing to sit for the anthem is actually emblematic of how the racial tension found in America can affect people.
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The death of black men at the hands of police has become a sad and seemingly unavoidable trend with the likes of Laquan McDonald, Quintonio Legrier, and Mike Brown all dying by the actions of police. Each time one of these events occurs, it sparks a huge debate over the role of race relations and policing in communities and the black community begins to feel more and more disenfranchised in a country they all call home that is called the land of the free. The Black Lives Matter Movement is steadily gaining traction in an attempt to make a meaningful statement about race. Black people are calling for other African Americans in positions of influence to lend their voices and resources in a meaningful way.
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With all that in mind, Kaepernick chooses sitting during the anthem as his own personal form of expression, albeit a controversial one. Kaepernick's choice serves as a reminder of how events in a society will always spur feelings in its citizen and provoke a response in very personal and unpredictable ways. Out of his sheer disgust with what he believes is a serious problem, Kaepernick is willingly inviting the criticism of the population at large as well as media outlets by the truckload. Alternatively, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Paul shared their thoughts about the situation on the nationally televised ESPYs this year with an earnest call for changes to be made with both the black community and police treatment of black people. Artists like J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar made impassioned songs expressing the emotions they feel seeing the treatment of their fellow African Americans. Even Michael Jordan, a man notorious for abstaining from talk about anything potentially divisive, finally broke his silence. He commented on the state racial disarray that has befallen the country as of late and shared how strongly he feels about it due to his own father being the victim of gun violence. Cam Newton, quarterback for the Panthers, chose not to vocally agree or disagree with Kaepernick’s actions.
Some people will condemn Kaepernick for his actions and call him unpatriotic or wrong, but the fact remains that he is expressing himself in light of the disarray facing our country just as other people are. For every Colin Kaepernick that will choose what some people perceive as a radical form of protest, there will also be others who choose to speak, to make songs, and some who simply abstain from talking altogether. Whether you agree with his actions or not, Kaepernick reminds us all to express ourselves in a way that is personal to us and he should be commended for it.
