Social media feeds were set ablaze early Saturday morning over San Fransisco 49ers quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, opting to stay seating during the national anthem of Friday night's preseason match-up with the Green Bay Packers.
His reasoning?
"I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color," Kaepernick told NFL Media in an exclusive interview after the game. "To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder" (via NFL.com).
Needless to say, this instantly became a polarizing topic online. On one hand, there has been a push for professional athletes to use their brand and platform as a means to shine light on social injustices. This harkens back to the late Muhammad Ali refusing to fight in the Vietnam War and other athlete activists.
The opposite side believes that there is no place for these types of protests in professional sports. They believe that sports should be strictly for entertainment.
I've witnessed a few common threads from people as they approach his statement: A) "He's not actually black" B) "He makes millions of dollars in this country" C) "We have the right to tell him how he can and can't protest"
If your response was along any of those lines, you've completely missed the point of Kaepernick's statement.
Colin's biological father, an African America man, was out of the picture before Colin's brith. His mother, a white woman, placed him for adoption. He was adopted and raised by the Kaepernicks. So yes, although he is mixed, Colin is in fact "black" and regardless of this fact, you do not have to be a certain race to stand up for the injustices of others.
His salary? Because once you make a certain amount of money you can no longer stand up for those being mistreated or even face discrimination yourself? Rich or poor, you can always stand for the injustices of others. It is also worth noting that despite African-Americans making up for 66% of the NFL, whites hold the overwhelming majority in head coaching, majority ownership, and league office staff.
The criticism about him excercising his freedom and other arguments are easy ways to avoid the tough subjects at hand. Instead of arguing about the way he exercised his freedom of speech, why don't we discuss why he felt the need to do so?
What would drive someone to feel as though they did not want to pay tribute to their country? Maybe the American story that you experience is a lot different from the American story of many other individuals.
Kaepernick is fed up. Many of us feel those same emotions of anger, sadness, and fear as we survey the current landscape of our nation. It is absolutely possible to honor and show gratitude for the great things about our nation, while we also mourn the brokenness and injustice.
Shaun King from the NY Daily News writes:
"I haven't cared to sing the anthem for a good 15 years. Does that mean that we hate America? Does that mean that we hate soldiers? Does that mean that we are spitting in the face of people that have sacrificed their lives?
No.
It means that right now, we don't feel like singing a love song to a country that seems to love black culture but not black people.
It means that we don't believe many words in this song or in the Pledge of Allegiance.
This is not the land of the free.
This country does not have liberty and justice for all" (via NY Daily News).
After all, Kaepernick's protest was something he had been thinking about for quite sometime and he is well aware of the repercussions: "This is not something that I am going to run by anybody," he said. "I am not looking for approval. I have to stand up for people that are oppressed. ... If they take football away, my endorsements from me, I know that I stood up for what is right" (via NFL.com).
Needless to say, people will continue to talk and we will probably be hearing about this story for quite some time. As we move forward, I urge you to think more about Kaepernick's message and the heartache he feels for this nation. This can be the starting point of an extremely important conversation.
If you're more upset about Colin Kaepernick protesting than you are about WHAT Colin Kapernick is protesting then you're part of the problem
— Not Bill Walton (@NotBillWalton) August 27, 2016
