It's been over two months since 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick first sat down during the national anthem. Since then, he has sparked a wave of similar protests. Many professional athletes in the NFL, WNBA, and NWSL have taken a similar stance by either sitting, kneeling, or raising their fist during "The Star Spangled Banner" in order to bring awareness to social injustice and police brutality in America. On top of professional athletes taking a stand, some high school players, and teams have as well. One high school, however, might have taken it too far.
The Castlemont High School football team of Oakland, CA first caught Kaepernick's attention last week when the entire team and coaching staff took a knee and raised a fist into the air during the national anthem. Kaepernick then paid the team a visit before their game this week to commend and encourage them in their efforts. Following that speech, the team took their protest a step further, this time by laying on the ground with their hands in the air, while Kaepernick kneeled on the sideline.
This new form of protest begs the question: is the national anthem protest working the way Kaepernick wanted it to? Not at all. First off, let me say that protesting the flag is by no means illegal. The Constitution protects freedom of expression and free speech in the First Amendment, so these players are absolutely free to protest the way they are, no matter how offensive people may find it. So while many of Kaepernick's colleagues are saying fundamental civil liberties aren't being given to them, they need to realize that their protest is probably the most fundamental civil liberty there is.
But the problem isn't that they're protesting, it's how they're doing it. Protesting the flag is extremely offensive, and it burns bridges rather than promotes unity. While Colin Kaepernick applauds Castlemont High School, I say get up. It's highly upsetting and disappointing to see Kaepernick (a player I once greatly admired and hoped would come play for my Denver Broncos) promoting this form of protest. There are thousands of veterans who physically cannot stand for the anthem, and seeing professionals and high schoolers sit, lie down, or kneel is insulting and making matters worse. Kaepernick just got voted the most disliked player in the NFL, so obviously people aren't liking what he's doing.There's a huge spotlight on Kaepernick and he has given himself a platform by which he can make a huge difference and call for unity. Instead, he chooses to silently take a knee and stand in the corner while Castlemont's coach tells his players to go out with a chip on their shoulder. That doesn't sound like promoting unity to me.
What happened in Tulsa is an absolute tragedy and obviously needs to be addressed. But Kaepernick's antics have become a distraction and are doing more harm than good. If you have to make the argument "focus on the message and not the method," then that probably means it's time to change the method. There are better ways to call for justice, and stirring animosity in youths and making a majority of America angry is probably not the best way to do it.
