Colin Kaepernick is the quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers and although I am a packers fan tried and true there has been a controversy surrounding the quarterback that I’m apprehensive to talk about but I feel that maybe it is a good opportunity to look at his point of view and discuss our first amendment rights. First to highlight what caused the controversy for the 49ers quarterback. During the preseason game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Green Bay Packers Kaepernick did not stand during the national anthem. The Star Spangled Banner is played before a majority of sports games and is an American tradition to stand up and face the American flag for the duration of the anthem. The playing of the anthem became a tradition in 1918 during the World Series (baseball, not football) when the crowd was standing during the seventh inning stretch. During the stretch the band began to play the anthem and the tradition was born and has continued into different sporting events such as hockey and football. To properly pay respects to our country and our armed forces it is tradition to stand facing the US flag, remove any hats, and stand silently or sing along if you’re brave enough. Kaepernick angered a lot of fans by refusing to stand during an American tradition. His reasoning behind what is called a peaceful protest is he is using his voice as a public figure to speak out to the minorities in this country that are oppressed. He is quoted saying: ”I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. 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.” Now initially seeing him sit during the national anthem is a little unsettling and seemingly disrespectful, and many fans are outraged claiming that he needs to stand during the national anthem and that his NFL contract should be taken away. Firstly it is not stated in his contract that he, or any other NFL player MUST stand during the national anthem, so as far as his contract goes he was in no violation. Secondly, our troops fight for our right to speak freely and express our opinions. Many veterans and those in active duty are siding with Kaepernick for that exact reason and those who are in support of him are not offended by his protest. Kaepernick also highlighted that he does not mean any disrespect to our troops because he himself has family and friends defending our country. Thirdly, this is not the first time that Kaepernick has sat through our national anthem and he is not the only athlete. Players from the NBA, NHL, and the MLB have all protested the national anthem for an array of reasons. Regardless of the reason behind it, Colin Kaepernick, just like you and I, have a right to peaceful protest whatever injustices are happening in this country. Our freedom of speech is what makes the United States great, and we are all entitled to our opinions and can express them freely. What bothers me the most about this situation is that a public figure is using his power and his voice to speak against an injustice that has happened to him and is happening to millions of people throughout the United States but the majority of his audience is taking his stance and twisting it to make themselves feel victimized by his protest. If you are so upset with his decision then so be it, you’re just as entitled to your opinion as he is his. But next time a violent protest breaks out and you ask why they can’t protest peacefully, think of Colin Kaepernick, who you’re upset with because he did protest peacefully. I understand both sides of the argument but at the end of the day, you speak how you want to speak and no one in these United States can take that from you.
