Well I guess for many including the powers that be of the NFL it is the American flag right or wrong. I admire Kaepernick and agree that to stand with pride at a symbol of a whole lot of oppression and discrimination is hypocritical. WhileI have never been a fan of the violent sport of American football, I haver sworn never to watch another NFL game again.
11
Thank you for this beautiful article, about this remarkable young man. He transcends his sport.
25
The NFL need Kaepernick much more than Kaepernick needs the NFL.
NFL owners and management could learn much from him, especially about character and commitment.
NFL owners and management could learn much from him, especially about character and commitment.
17
Mr K is so much smarter, self reflective, thoughtful and opinionated than most NFL players. If he were white and interested in his heritage and social change he would not be ostrasized, but being mixed race he gets slammed.
The excuse used to justify his departure from the league are his diminishing skills, but this is malarkey. Many QB's have bad years, and are still in the league.
Many mire in mediocrity their entire careers.
Mr K has won one Super Bowl and played in another. How many QB's can claim that not named Brady or Manning or Rothlesberger? None in this current era.
The excuse used to justify his departure from the league are his diminishing skills, but this is malarkey. Many QB's have bad years, and are still in the league.
Many mire in mediocrity their entire careers.
Mr K has won one Super Bowl and played in another. How many QB's can claim that not named Brady or Manning or Rothlesberger? None in this current era.
6
Actually he has appeared in one super bowl. He hasn't won one. Still, that's an amazing accomplishment and he should be commended for his conduct on and off the field.
3
Forsaking fame and wealth for doing what's right make Mr. kaepernick a far better man in my mind than if he had won a half dozen Super Bowls.
24
I hope you will see this, Colin -- I want you to know that donald trump is the traitor, not you.
22
This young man is remarkable and deserves lots of praise. I admire him immensely. I hate football and had only a vague idea about him before reading this article, so thank you. (I'm so glad you include the names of books he is reading--maybe others will read those books too.) I hate football for how it glorifies brutality and treats men like gladiators, albeit highly-paid-- which is of course the only reason they do it. But if you are interested in the exploitation of black bodies...well football seems right in line with that! Keep speaking out Colin! I hope you leave football and continue the expansion of your mind and your activism! We-- the nation in general, and young black men in particular -- need you.
14
Great article! As an octogenarian born in the south I can relate to Mr. K. I appreciate his courage to stand for "his" principles and not someone else's. On his road to self discovery he read some of the same literature I read as a young man. While reading the Autobiography of Malcolm X while draft age I remember reading that no man of color has a right or obligation to go half way around the world to fight other men of color with whom he has no angst. I did not serve in the military by choice but chose to serve my country as a National Guardsman in my resident state. I receive no military benefits and want none. However, Americans of African descent (how I refer to myself) I am discriminated when it comes to employment, housing, career success. I have chosen not to support the NFL from now on regardless. I stand, or kneel, with Colin and other courageous American men of African descent to be my own man...courageous, strong integrity and character, responsible for my actions and my family. Colin Kaepernick, I SALUTE YOU!
17
Colin obviously has a far better understanding of the issues related to race in america and far more integrity than any of his detractors will ever have. Best wishes Colin.
16
Divisive? For Colin Kaepernick's actions to have been divisive, Americans must have originally shared the same ideas about race, the justice system, free speech, and the national anthem, which we know was not the case.
By choosing to kneel during the Star Spangled Banner, Colin did not further divide the country, he simply helped expose some of the divisions that already existed.
By choosing to kneel during the Star Spangled Banner, Colin did not further divide the country, he simply helped expose some of the divisions that already existed.
15
Kaepernick took the knee as a form of freedom of expression. Now, as is usually the case in this any any other free society where people should assess the consequences of their actions (intended or not), many, many of the NFL paying and viewing fans took great offense at Kaepernick's action. So, he's either going to have to "bend the knee" a la Game of Thrones or he might as well get use to a long, long hiatus from the NFL, if he ever returns.
5
Kaepernick with his decision to take the knee chose to make an overtly, politically divisive statement in the entertainment field of the NFL. It is a choice that is an affront to many, many of the paying and viewing fans of professional football. As Kaepernick has the freedom to make that choice, the entirety of the football community have the choice to take issue with it.
The whole Kaepernick tempest is not a narrative of oppression. It is about the freedom of expression and what that may mean as to how differences of opinion are dealt with in the work place in a market driven economy. Let's all accept that and move on - something Kaepernick obviously hasn't gotten around to yet by truly "bending the knee" a la Game of Thrones.
The whole Kaepernick tempest is not a narrative of oppression. It is about the freedom of expression and what that may mean as to how differences of opinion are dealt with in the work place in a market driven economy. Let's all accept that and move on - something Kaepernick obviously hasn't gotten around to yet by truly "bending the knee" a la Game of Thrones.
5
Just another example of the hype associated with non-stop social media. He's not much of a victim of anything but his own choices which he, of course, has the right to make.
He hasn't been much of a QB for years, never improved at all and makes it obvious that playing football isn't his priority these days. I wouldn't sign him. Is he as good or better than many back-ups? Sure, but he's not worth the distraction and that's the result of his choices. The idea that he has some right to play is ridiculous.
The fact that he's a major rallying point for the Black Lives Matter movement now and their efforts to portray him as some sort of heroic victim is pitiful. A job for millionaire Colin is the best they can do? Seriously? For a guy who doesn't even vote because it doesn't matter?
All feel good noise just like the Occupy movement years ago. What's changed? An unfocussed "movement" that doesn't affect much of anything and certainly won't change the NFL. When I see one of these ever so serious players like the big mouth Bennett brothers actually sacrifice a game check for the cause, then I'll pay attention.
Until then? Blah, blah, blah...
He hasn't been much of a QB for years, never improved at all and makes it obvious that playing football isn't his priority these days. I wouldn't sign him. Is he as good or better than many back-ups? Sure, but he's not worth the distraction and that's the result of his choices. The idea that he has some right to play is ridiculous.
The fact that he's a major rallying point for the Black Lives Matter movement now and their efforts to portray him as some sort of heroic victim is pitiful. A job for millionaire Colin is the best they can do? Seriously? For a guy who doesn't even vote because it doesn't matter?
All feel good noise just like the Occupy movement years ago. What's changed? An unfocussed "movement" that doesn't affect much of anything and certainly won't change the NFL. When I see one of these ever so serious players like the big mouth Bennett brothers actually sacrifice a game check for the cause, then I'll pay attention.
Until then? Blah, blah, blah...
6
I didn't know much about Colin Kaepernick before I ready this article, just the few things I caught in the media, which didn't seem very positive. After reading this article, I have great respect for him, for the journey he is taking, and for the good he is doing along the way. I wish him only the best.
17
Not only do I applaud the stand he's taken, (the NFL is one of the most quintessentially American and most popular events in the country, so it's prime placement for a statement that needs to be heard) but from a football perspective, he's NASTY. He is a player who can single-handedly take over a football game, the rarest of things. When I see a team like the Jets who are hapless season after season at QB pass on him, something is clearly up.
Someone give this man a roster slot! NYJ I'm looking at you - bad enough the owner just bought himself the chief ambassador's job in the US by financially supporting DJT for President - you represent NYC. You want to continue to do so? Hire Kap.
Someone give this man a roster slot! NYJ I'm looking at you - bad enough the owner just bought himself the chief ambassador's job in the US by financially supporting DJT for President - you represent NYC. You want to continue to do so? Hire Kap.
9
Maybe I missed it, but I didn't see a mention in this story of Kaepernick's silence about the Diab tweet that ended his Ravens opportunity.
How is she any different than racists that Kaepernick protests against?
How is she any different than racists that Kaepernick protests against?
3
And Ray Lewis is a true example of all that's good about the NFL?
2
Pressuring people to stand for the anthem during sporting events is ridiculous and un-American. It's what they do in dictatorships.
26
Absolutely, yes. Exactly.
4
Thank you for this illuminating piece. Kaepernick makes an striking contrast with those millionaire Trump supporters in the NFL, like Bob Kraft, Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. He is a far better patriot than they are.
19
Humanity ratings:
Tom Brady: petulant, spoiled, privileged, cheater, Trump supporter.
Kaepernick: human....
I hope he gets a chance to play again in the NFL.
Tom Brady: petulant, spoiled, privileged, cheater, Trump supporter.
Kaepernick: human....
I hope he gets a chance to play again in the NFL.
18
I give him alot of credit for 'standing up' for what he believes and expressing those beliefs in a non violent manner. I dont doubt his sincerity.
I'm just not convinced that sitting or kneeling for the star spangled is the appropriate way to do it.
I'm just not convinced that sitting or kneeling for the star spangled is the appropriate way to do it.
2
Might it be preferable to discontinue playing the national anthem at every sporting event?
18
Thanks for this article. I never read much about Colin Kaepernick beyond the headlines, and while I admired his gesture to make public his views about police shootings at NFL games, I didn't understand what the big deal was. And it isn't - at the end of the day, he's just a guy trying to communicate with the world the unbearable and incommunicable pain and trauma of black people in America and many other parts of the world, from the historical consequences of slavery and segregation to the impunity of those licensed to kill for any reason they can think of, before or after a trigger is pulled. Then you ask him to shut up, because "look who's paying your check buddy?" I almost don't expect NFL owners, who make a profit out of endangering people's lives in a "sport" that's proven to be injurious and unsafe, to act differently. But fans can follow Kaepernick. Take the knee and boycott the NFL.
23
I have great admiration and respect for Colin and look forward to learning what he will do next. For the health of his obviously bright brain, perhaps it is best he moves out of football and on to new challenges where that brain can be put to more positive use.
16
I am supposed to feel sorry for a fellow who stood up for his beliefs after he earned $43 million ? What a sacrifice that he's not a QB somewhere. Anyone want to choose to stand up for their beliefs after making that amount? Go live in a poverty area and be a social worker , legal aid lawyer, nurse, doctor for 10 years. Talk about real sacrifice.
8
Shooting unarmed citizens is not Patriotic.
4
Our country is getting more an more divided.
Colin Kaepernick is only one of many examples.
He lived the American dream and made millions more than the NFL fans will ever make in their lifetimes, and has disrespected the American anthem and flag that these same fans would never dream of doing in their worse nightmares.
The vast majority of these commenters support Colin Kaepernick protest, but the NFL fans who evidently are not NYT commenters overwhelmingly take the opposite view, they do not want to see a polarizing and very well paid figure disrespecting the American Anthem and American flag at the NFL games that they pay to watch.
Seems to be that after all of the monuments are torn down, the American flag and the American anthem will be the next big target of the left. It is actually a target already.
Colin Kaepernick is only one of many examples.
He lived the American dream and made millions more than the NFL fans will ever make in their lifetimes, and has disrespected the American anthem and flag that these same fans would never dream of doing in their worse nightmares.
The vast majority of these commenters support Colin Kaepernick protest, but the NFL fans who evidently are not NYT commenters overwhelmingly take the opposite view, they do not want to see a polarizing and very well paid figure disrespecting the American Anthem and American flag at the NFL games that they pay to watch.
Seems to be that after all of the monuments are torn down, the American flag and the American anthem will be the next big target of the left. It is actually a target already.
8
I have no respect for this millionaire. He is another one that has found fame and uses it to create a name for himself. Yes, he has every right to protest whatever is the fashion of the day, but, not at his place of work. I'm a business owner and I would not let my employees protest, while at work. Why should his employers, the fans, pay his salary, while he disrespects them, by disrespecting the flag? The reason that he is a millionaire is because of that flag. Would he have had this opportunity, to be wealthy, if he lived in Africa, or Asia?. Is everything in this country perfect? Of course not. The world will never be perfect. The NFL was right in rejecting him and others that are following in his steps, should be rejected also
7
Funny, I don't hear you complaining about when Brady wore a MAGA cap to work.
Double standard much?
Double standard much?
11
Didn't see an actcle in NYT about the MAGA cap-missed it I guess. Kaprnicick can protest all he wants-that is his right-just not on the clock. Otherwise go for it.
I completely support this young man in his courageous expression of his views. I do wish he would bring those principles to bear in another arena as well. The article quotes a fraternity brother about how he successfully completed the initiation process for a black fraternity. Black fraternities are notorious for the brutality of their hazing practices. Pledges must attend fraternity exercises nearly every, all night, night for a whole semester. In addition to learning the lore of the fraternity and the stepping routines pledges are routinely required to perform demanding, dangerous and often demeaning feats, are occasionally beaten and are often severely paddled to the point that nearly every year a pledge is hospitalized for kidney damage. If you doubt these assertions, just check out the Wikipedia articles on the fraternity named in the article and other black fraternities. I wish Kaepernick would come out against such practices. They cause terrible and unnecessary pain to many fine young black men. By speaking out he probably could do more actual practical good regarding this subject than he can regarding the larger issues he is addressing.
2
Would you rather he joined a predominantly white fraternity and drinking himself to death during an initiation ritual?
Any challenge to symbols that white America cherishes or any of the other myths that they have concocted about themselves and the republic, even when those symbols and myths are an affront to Black freedom, as the Star Spangle Banner is--just read the third stanza--there will be a visceral reaction.
America has a long Arc of Execution and Exile – from Gabriel Prosser to David Walker to Denmark Vesey to Nat Turner to John Brown to Malcolm X to Muhammad Ali to John Carlos and Tommie Smith to Dr. King to Colin Kaepernick—for those who take a stand and calls America on its hypocrisy of democracy and justice for Black people in these “yet to be united states.”
“To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a constant state of rage.” James Baldwin
America has a long Arc of Execution and Exile – from Gabriel Prosser to David Walker to Denmark Vesey to Nat Turner to John Brown to Malcolm X to Muhammad Ali to John Carlos and Tommie Smith to Dr. King to Colin Kaepernick—for those who take a stand and calls America on its hypocrisy of democracy and justice for Black people in these “yet to be united states.”
“To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a constant state of rage.” James Baldwin
19
History is on the side of the Colin Kapernick's of America-- and there are many of them. It is decidedly not on the side of the NFL owners nor their more rabid fans. As one man famously said some year prior, "the arc of the moral universe is long but it inevitably bends towards justice." May Mr. Kapernick be here to enjoy that final bending, a feat for which he personally made sacrifices to achieve. Get him back on the field now!
8
Colin did the right thing. Like Tommy Smith in the 1968 Summer Olympics, who gave the Black Panther salute from the highest step of the award's podem while being awarded gold medal for the 200 meter sprint, he made use of the venu of professional football, a rare place for black men to exist as USAmerican persons and be seen by the fans and the cameras alike, to make a gesture in opposition to business as usual hitting on people of color. Trump is not going to make implicit racism great again.
12
Colin should check to see if the Canadian Football League has any job openings. Presumably there would be no National Anthem issues up there. If no Canadian pro team hires him, we can safely conclude that it is about talent, not ideology.
2
As the QB, Kap was supposed to be a leader. Not a conscience, not a barometer of the times. Put aside that this country -- his country -- has been extremely good to him by any measure, put aside that I personally don't feel the anthem should be messed with (we take so few moments these days to actually display patriotism). As a leader on the field, Kap failed. HIs job was to win games, not protest, not display his personal feelings, politics and identity. Clearly, from his tattoos to the black fraternity, here is a man struggling with identity. Fine, we all might, from time to time. But his search for who he is belongs on a couch, not on the field. IF he's blackballed, I really don't care -- these players showboat at the drop of a hat, and maybe this will keep players' heads straight so the game has fewer distractions. There's a reason all the uniforms are the same: it's about the game and the teams -- the whole team.
10
So many on the right damn this guy. Well, it's a free country. If he wishes to protest in this way, God bless him!
5
What an extraordinary human being! And shame on the NFL which seems to easily tolerate their players who engage in activities like driving under the influence, public fights and assaults, and physically abusing their wives and girlfriends, but a player, who displays generosity, is well-learned and spoken, who is simply on a quest to find his integrous self, they cannot tolerate. And as for Trump's remark, I hope Mr. Kaepernick wears it as a badge of honor.
19
He's bad for business and that's why no team owner wants him.
8
It all comes down to money, not principle. A good reason to watch Shirley Temple movies on Sundays.
2
And it's disgraceful.
He is good for humanity though !!
8
Let's keep in mind as well that the NFL receives millions of dollars from the U.S. military for its half-time shows, fly overs of planes, soldiers on parade, etc.
The NFL and its owners are already engaged in blatant militarism and false patriotism. It's truly telling how threatened they are by just one player -- by one athlete kneeling out of deep regard and love of his country's ideals.
Surely, we should all be supporting Colin, not decrying him; heralding him as the true patriot and the real democrat, not siding with conservative, rightwing, bigoted owners, many of whom backed Trump and did so with millions of dollars.
The NFL and its owners are already engaged in blatant militarism and false patriotism. It's truly telling how threatened they are by just one player -- by one athlete kneeling out of deep regard and love of his country's ideals.
Surely, we should all be supporting Colin, not decrying him; heralding him as the true patriot and the real democrat, not siding with conservative, rightwing, bigoted owners, many of whom backed Trump and did so with millions of dollars.
24
Someone at the Times please show Mr. Branch how to use Instagram to view a video :P
"Kaepernick traveled to Ghana this summer. On July 4 on Instagram, accompanying the only photograph he posted of the trip — nothing but a black screen — he said that he made the pilgrimage to get in touch with his “African ancestral roots.”
#horseandbuggy #picturebox
"Kaepernick traveled to Ghana this summer. On July 4 on Instagram, accompanying the only photograph he posted of the trip — nothing but a black screen — he said that he made the pilgrimage to get in touch with his “African ancestral roots.”
#horseandbuggy #picturebox
Would someone please show Woody Johnson, the owner of the Jets, a copy of this story. Now Mr. Johnson, why don't you make an executive decision and hire Kaepernick for your football team and let him compete for the quarterback job. Given the very high likelihood that Kaepernick is more skillful than any quarterback on your roster, the only two reasons you would not do so, regardless of how well he plays, are either that you are afraid that a substantial number of people would not renew their season tickets for next year and no one will step up to buy them, or you are afraid to compete, unlike your players. Either way, you disgrace the organization you run by that cowardice. These players risk their healthy futures by being willing to compete on the field. You cowardly refuse to risk a financial future that really amounts to no risk at all for you, for a number of reasons, by being unwilling to compete.
10
If the NFL and football fans love America so much, shouldn't they also love the First Amendment? Why is a guy who tortures dogs (Michael Vick), more acceptable than a guy who has legitimate things to say about American culture? I stopped watching football a long time ago. Cheering for super rich trust fund guys like Woody Johnson and Robert Kraft to get a ring is not on my list of important activities. And this Kaepernick situation makes me happy to stay away.
Mr. Kaepernick, you are a First Amendment hero. You have my respect with our without football. #imwithkap
Mr. Kaepernick, you are a First Amendment hero. You have my respect with our without football. #imwithkap
21
True, a "stand-up guy" but he doesn't have to disrespect our
flag to earn this label.
flag to earn this label.
5
To the contrary, by his actions, he is respecting what the flag stands for!
Freedom of speech; freedom of assembly; the right to protest and petition the government for a redress of grievances; the right of the people to be free from arbitrary search and seizure; etc.
He is kneeling out of respect for the values that the country is not yet living up to!
It's those who stand en masse and salute the icon blindly -- or, who criticize him for kneeling -- that are being disrespectful to the flag and the democracy.
To criticize him is to be a fake patriot and decry constitutional rights!
Freedom of speech; freedom of assembly; the right to protest and petition the government for a redress of grievances; the right of the people to be free from arbitrary search and seizure; etc.
He is kneeling out of respect for the values that the country is not yet living up to!
It's those who stand en masse and salute the icon blindly -- or, who criticize him for kneeling -- that are being disrespectful to the flag and the democracy.
To criticize him is to be a fake patriot and decry constitutional rights!
83
This article affirms he is not a rebel without a cause, but I would have loved to have gotten insight into why he chose not to vote in the Presidential Election this past fall. It doesn't sit right with me. But maybe it is because I am not woke as I had to wait until the horse and buggy NYT told me about all the incredible work he has been doing for ages.
2
Mr. Kapernick seems to be sincere in his beliefs and actions. He has every right to wear his Fidel Castro t-shirts, "pig" socks, and to kneel on the sidelines during the playing of the national anthem. He happens, however, to work in a conservative, profit driven, image conscious business. Those doing the hiring In the NFL have every right, for a variety of reasons, to not offer him a job. This is not a free speech issue. No one is curtailing his ability or right to speak. Actions have consequences, some good, some bad. Just ask James Damore, formerly of Google, about that.
10
Their having such a right does not make it right!
You may not want to consider this a "free speech" issue, but it certainly is a blatantly political decision on the part of the owners!
They are showing what kind of people they are and what they truly value -- if they are willing to put on their payroll miscreants who have physically assaulted their wives and girl friends, have engaged in animal cruelty, and have committed crimes, then surely they should be willing to hire an intelligent, consciousness-raising, and better QB than the backups they have employed!
They are blackballing him, making a poor business decision, or acting out of unrecognized or hidden bigotry and racism!
Don't try to defend their actions by saying it's just business and employers have the right... that's countenancing what's going on!
You may not want to consider this a "free speech" issue, but it certainly is a blatantly political decision on the part of the owners!
They are showing what kind of people they are and what they truly value -- if they are willing to put on their payroll miscreants who have physically assaulted their wives and girl friends, have engaged in animal cruelty, and have committed crimes, then surely they should be willing to hire an intelligent, consciousness-raising, and better QB than the backups they have employed!
They are blackballing him, making a poor business decision, or acting out of unrecognized or hidden bigotry and racism!
Don't try to defend their actions by saying it's just business and employers have the right... that's countenancing what's going on!
5
it's not a political decision, by owners, it's an economic/business decision.
1
football is really different from basketball- not just the shape of the ball or number of players. The lifespan of a football player is short and hard- there less security both on and off the field- player rights/autonomy/power in football takes a far back seat to BB. not only do player's brains get addled and worse, they have less job security- than a BB player does.
All this becomes very interesting when you compare fans of the game. Football: whiter, wealthier, more conservative. BB: the poor mans sport, much higher minority participation, less conservative. BB players have more freedom to speak out because they are supported
All this becomes very interesting when you compare fans of the game. Football: whiter, wealthier, more conservative. BB: the poor mans sport, much higher minority participation, less conservative. BB players have more freedom to speak out because they are supported
1
What a smile. Here's a warrior whose spirit is bounded to the earth and his people. My son has a congenital heart problem. He is now 10. He looks normal and playful after having had three elected open-heart surgeries by the age of 5. Because of this, we had a chance to go to Camp Taylor, a non-profit camp for children with a heart condition in the Bay area. Teresa Kaepernick would show up occasionally and socialize with the crew. She and Rick lost two sons early from congenital heart conditions before adopting Colin. My eyes are misty as write these words but Colin has the same innocent smile as of those cheerful kids at the camps. Colin has been a regular financial donor to the camp, and he showed up one day. Initially, what I heard was that Colin had said that these kids all look normal to him. After all, his spirit is like them - optimistic and idealistic, always looking from the grounds up, always trying to connect with another with his eyes, for that is the best way to increase their odds for survival. The camp is usually in the summer and there is a large pool there. By pool time, all the kids were jumping into the pool with their parents in the wing - with their shirts off. This was an awaken moment for Colin - seeing all these kids with a large 10 inch scar down the middle of their sternum or chest, laughing, parents arms opened with love. He had connected with their spirits earlier on, and now he was humbled by their physical appearance. Thank you Teresa.
18
If he never plays another down he has shown himself to be a good human being and that is what life is about. Not trophies, not property, not riches but helping people.
23
Colin Kaepernick is an American hero, and distinctly not because he is a sports star. Sad that the football community has shunned him for his thoughtful journey to discover his history and find himself through his ancestry. Even more shameful that the football community continues to prop up false heroes who commit domestic violence over this caring, thoughtful man who is doing so much for the community.
12
Kaepernick didn't disrupt football. He had begun protesting two weeks before it was noticed, and football played on. He disrupted fragile sensibilities and the romantic patriotic fantasies of people who wanted to silently turn away from injustice.
31
Colin Kaepernick is a shining example of what freedom is in this country. The amazing thing in all of this; the people that cry "Don't tread on me", "Freedom and Liberty" actually believe his behavior was anti-American.
#NoKaepernicknoNFL
#NoKaepernicknoNFL
10
He could have had more impact by focusing more on winning some more games. He should have spoke up when he was at the super bowl. Not wait until he's benched for poor performance.
7
i refused to salute the flag at age 16 in high school. I resented this forced/required show of 'patriotism'. I believe in teamwork, but not borders.
7
Perhaps he should play in Canada?
4
Or maybe we can all contribute to buying him a one-way First Class ticket to North Korea to teach them sportsmanship and how to act respectfully toward others.
4
I cannot stand football or the NFL who willingly and obscenely profits off of the exploitation of mostly minority athletes. That said, he is absolutely being discriminated against. So what? He will be a more positive force for his fellow human beings than the out of control race by owners and their phony patriotism to beat the clock on how long football will last. Their rigged sweet deal will be in peril for the foreseeable future. As a regular grandmother I am proud of his principled stand. His adoptive parents should be regarded as great parents to have raised him as they did.
7
What is it about the American psyche that we can't get enough of debating "acceptable" ways for people to conduct non violent protest?
8
Race in America is even more uncomfortable in public dialogue among cliques, circles and acquaintances than politics and religion. Like a family who tells "queer" jokes only to discover their nephew or aunt is gay, then uncomfortably readjusting their mindset, race is even harder. Biased whites can't tolerate the "fact" that blacks don't just shut up and conform as did their Irish, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Jew, Catholic, Indian, Middle Eastern and recent African immigrants. Why do they retain ebonics, unique black given names, absentee father's, girls & women deliberately choosing to have children born in poverty w/o the benefit of a committed Daddy. Yet the biased whites know deep down, if the tables were turned, and their only choice, as they perceived it, was to turn their back on the horrific legacy they'd been dealt in order to "fit in", that they too might rebel and rail against the hypocrisy, then, they too, might fight again the society that has been so cruel to their race, based on their white skin color and fine, easily coiffed hair and thin lips. Go Colin. We should have given you a shot at QB here with the Texans as well as dozens of cities around the NFL. If public events opt to Pledge Alligience or play the National Anthem, then where are the "white" brothers and sisters to take a knee in acknowledgement of the unique unfairness so many of our people go along blindly following the terrible legacy that should haunt us all. Viva Colin!
4
He has the right to stand, knell or whistle dixie during the Anthem. I have the right not to pay for a season pass to watch, attend and financially support the team.
15
Joe:
Yes, but why should you have to give up all that because of one inconsiderate jerk?
Yes, but why should you have to give up all that because of one inconsiderate jerk?
4
Hi Ian,
You make a good point. This is all subjective. I feel so strongly about this wonderful country and the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for my good life that the best way for me to react is financially. I believe that sends a clear message to his employer.
You make a good point. This is all subjective. I feel so strongly about this wonderful country and the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for my good life that the best way for me to react is financially. I believe that sends a clear message to his employer.
How refreshing to have a star professional athlete care deeply about something other than his next mansion, party, or shoe deal. It is sad (SAD!) that somebody with talent and principles is being shunned, but it is not surprising. People who stick their necks out, especially for a cause to change the status quo, often lose their heads (Lincoln, MLK, Ghandi, and a poor carpenter's son in the near-East a few millennia ago, to name just a few). Best wishes, Colin.
70
Kaepernick's toxic brand of hate America politics are unacceptable on an NFL sideline. He is device and virtual poison in the locker room. He brands any NFL franchise that tolerates his leftist views as anti-American. He is working for a private company and must represent that brand as its employee. If he does not like it, he is free to leave, Newsflash to Colin, slavery is over. You make your economic and political choices. The NFL has branded you toxic. Your diminished skill level far outweighs your prolific baggage. So you and your left-wing media surrogates should stop the whining. You exercised your freedom of speech. The NFL exercised its right to show you the door. Welcome to America.
17
His views aren't leftist.
5
How far we've come. While reading this, I thought of Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, who was seemingly blackballed because of his decision first to sit, then to compromise by standing and praying during the playing of the anthem.
I also thought of the best hitter in baseball during the 1990's - Albert Belle - seemingly kept out of the Hall of Fame because he didn't like the writers who voted players/managers, etc into the Hall. The man who led the world in pretty much all hitting stats during that decade was dropped from contention after his name appeared on only 3.5% of the ballots.
I've long admired John Branch's writing - his series on Derek Boogard is sports writing nonpareil. I just wish there were more like him just a few years ago.
I also thought of the best hitter in baseball during the 1990's - Albert Belle - seemingly kept out of the Hall of Fame because he didn't like the writers who voted players/managers, etc into the Hall. The man who led the world in pretty much all hitting stats during that decade was dropped from contention after his name appeared on only 3.5% of the ballots.
I've long admired John Branch's writing - his series on Derek Boogard is sports writing nonpareil. I just wish there were more like him just a few years ago.
1
Excellent article which certainly delves deeper into Colin's journey than anything I have ever read. When a man puts that much time & effort into learning about his history as well as the history of black Americans it becomes clear he is serious about his mission.
When it comes to football he has all the tools & is really a much better quarterback than many on current rosters in the NFL. Those teams that refuse to utilize his talents are sorely missing the boat. I admire his stance and wish him the best. Twenty years from now people will remember him differently than they do today. Time has a way of opening people's eyes. Fifty years ago you couldn't find a black man playing football in the SEC. What would Alabama football be today without black players?
When it comes to football he has all the tools & is really a much better quarterback than many on current rosters in the NFL. Those teams that refuse to utilize his talents are sorely missing the boat. I admire his stance and wish him the best. Twenty years from now people will remember him differently than they do today. Time has a way of opening people's eyes. Fifty years ago you couldn't find a black man playing football in the SEC. What would Alabama football be today without black players?
6
He seems to me a gifted athlete and a good young man. But he is neither a traitor nor a social activist and certainly not in the same realm as Mohammad Ali (stripped of his title and sent to jail). It's really too bad we've created this front page drama over what Colin did. We can argue till the cows come home as to whether or not we support what he did but this has been blown completely out of proportion with sorry innuendo - like the reference to his not being added to any NFL franchise whose owners (none of them African American) are apparently overly patriotic and discourage acts of showmanship. Essentially we have an outcry and a strong suggestion that Colin has been quietly banned, by white owners, because of his taking a knee as though all these owners have reached some agreement and winning is somehow secondary in their interests. Bull.
1
Colin Kaepernick is very brave, and I admire him for taking his stand. But to the author and those who leave comments here which imply that he is a star athlete who is being boycotted because of his views---that just is not the case. If you are an NFL fan, or a 49ers fan, you will recognize that he just isn't a great quarterback. He did have a stellar breakout year, but then, as they do for lots of players, NFL defenses adjusted, and they figured out how to expose Kaepernick's weaknesses. He had several excruciatingly bad seasons, and all of us who follow the team were wishing he could be replaced by a better player. This is significant because it addressees this false narrative that teams are boycotting him because of his views. He's basically Tim Tebow--a player who can be fun to watch, but can't really make the adjustment to run an NFL offense. But his social views are spot-on.
20
By any statistical measure Kaepernick is a better QB than Tim Tebow. Colin is not among the best QB's in the NFL but he is probably better than all but 15 or 20 of them. When Brian Hoyer, Tom Savage, Trevor Simian, .. can get starting QB jobs it is not about ability.
7
We need to give Kapernick a chance to play. His story is so important!!!
5
May God bless you, Colin, for calling our attention to what is really important!
3
Mr. Kaepernick: read "The Storied City" by Charlie English. It's a fascinating history of Timbuktu, the city where hundreds of thousands of documents generated by the people of the Sudanese and Ghanan empires are kept. The original meaning of the word "Sudan" is "land of the Black" and of course the authors of all those documents were Black--of the cloth, scientists, doctors, historians, philosophers--writing during the time the great white race in Europe was busy jousting on a very flat earth and not taking baths.
2
He said "if they take football away". He knew what the consequences of his actions could be.
Why is this now some kind of oppression?
Why is this now some kind of oppression?
6
These players can do what they want, but there's a backlash coming from the fans. Well known "protester", Michae Bennett has already pushed the envelope off the table, with his phony claims of police misconduct in Las Vegas. His account of the incident is verifiably false, yet the NFL is afraid to challenge him and defend the policeman that was accused of the abuse. Bennett is a liar and Roger Goddell is looking at a PR disaster when the fans decide they've had enough of his antics.
9
Exactly how is Bennett's account of his run in with the police verifiably false? Verified by whom? The arresting officer who wasn't wearing a body camera at the time? Perhaps you were an eyewitness and can elucidate what rezlly happened. No? I didn't think so.
7
Really? I watched the security camera footage provided by the Las Vegas police at their press conference and I question their account of the Bennett situation. The police had no idea who they were looking for because the 911 caller provided no description, everyone in the casino was running, the police were shouting " get out," yet Bennett was the one tackled and handcuffed because he "acted suspiciously" by running? Give me a break. Also the Vegas police statement that racial profiling didn't happen because the arresting officers were Hispanic is a crock because Hispanic is not a race, and even if it were, so what?
5
To compare Kapernick to Muhammad Ali is disrespectful, tasteless ,and insidious.Ali was protesting the death of soldiers in an unjust war ,along with his social level of consciousness rising to rename himself. Statistics show in total police encounters a phenomenally LOW amount of incidences. Of course injustice will always occur among police interactions. Kapernick probably made more money in football thenAli made his entire career. And how come there was no prob with NFL when he was playing better? Another case of SELECTIVE OUTRAGE.
10
And meanwhile the Denver Broncos would benefit from a top notch QB but wouldn't consider the hire for their own political reasons. Yet most of the players in the NFL are black men. So rational, so interested in the best sporting events...
This article notes the "overt patriotism" of the NFL. Is that supposed to be a criticism? The Times has already conflated nationalism with white supremacism and uses those two terms as if they meant the same thing. Is patriotism about to be conflated with nationalism?
Colin Kaepernick has every right to engage in this type of protest and I respect him and his commitment to his beliefs. But the NFL owners also have every right to show commitment to their beliefs or even commitment to nothing more than the bottom line. The "conservative" and "patriotic" view is equally deserving of freedom of expression.
Colin Kaepernick is an extremely divisive figure. He's not just an activist for peace and equality and opportunity for all; he's also a person who spews hate. Hatred for all law enforcement is still hatred. There are many of us who want no part of that. Our views are valid too.
Colin Kaepernick has every right to engage in this type of protest and I respect him and his commitment to his beliefs. But the NFL owners also have every right to show commitment to their beliefs or even commitment to nothing more than the bottom line. The "conservative" and "patriotic" view is equally deserving of freedom of expression.
Colin Kaepernick is an extremely divisive figure. He's not just an activist for peace and equality and opportunity for all; he's also a person who spews hate. Hatred for all law enforcement is still hatred. There are many of us who want no part of that. Our views are valid too.
24
The fundamental problem with your apparently even-handed opinion is that it utterly fails to acknowledge the power differential between owners and players; and the consequences thereof. Forced overts act of "patriotism" - which are really a marketing tool - don't make standing by the players anything other than abiding by the master's voice. The drowning of personal belief to serve the master is hardly freedom of expression.
3
Your views are not "valid" because you have them - they have to be logical, rational, factual. Inaccurately claiming - or lying - that Kaepernick "spews hate" and has hatred for all police invalidates your "views." Hating people like Kaepernick because they don't agree with you isn't "patriotism" - it's hate, and that's not "valid." Those of us who represent the future of America, the best of America, want no part of that, and we won't have it.
4
His view is patriotic.
2
All athletes of color, college and pro, should talk to Colin. The fact that african american athletes at big-time schools rake in millions of dollars for their schools and rarely get a decent education is nothing short of a national disgrace and a purposeful lie. The fact that these same athletes are discarded if they get hurt or don't meet the highest expectations is a double disgrace. Perhaps they don't want these young men and women getting a proper education because if they did they would come to the same conclusion as Colin...that the casino is rigged and not in their favor. There is absolutely no reason to play the national anthem at a sporting event. Respecting the flag should be a two-way street and thus far african-americans have been on a one lane highway.
79
Beautiful, truthful words...
I can respect what Kap is doing, but at the same time it's hard to agree with his supporters. To blame the NFL or racism for Kap's situation is ridiculous. The NFL is a business...a business that offers entertainment. Anything that threatens the bottom line won't be tolerated...period. If this business were any business other than sports it wouldn't even be a conversation. The fan base is no small point when it comes to trying to figure out why Kap isn't in the NFL. The fan loyalists don’t want him. They made that clear in everything from informal polls to loud protests & boos when he appeared in their town during last season. Those loyalists are for the most part blue collar, middle class, football junkies who year in & year out, pack stadiums, plop down tens of millions for tickets, & assorted NFL paraphernalia.
Giants owner John Mara said even though the team never considered signing Kap in the first place, fan mail was a concern. “All my years being in the league, I never received more emotional mail from people than I did about that issue,” Mara said. “If any of your players ever do that, we are never coming to another Giants game. It wasn’t one or two letters. It was a lot. It’s an emotional issue for a lot of people.” The other reason Kap isn’t in the NFL is that he just isn’t a strong player & has been slowed by injuries. When your completion rate is around 59%, you can’t win in the NFL on a consistent basis. The risks of hiring Kap unfortunately exceed the rewards.
Giants owner John Mara said even though the team never considered signing Kap in the first place, fan mail was a concern. “All my years being in the league, I never received more emotional mail from people than I did about that issue,” Mara said. “If any of your players ever do that, we are never coming to another Giants game. It wasn’t one or two letters. It was a lot. It’s an emotional issue for a lot of people.” The other reason Kap isn’t in the NFL is that he just isn’t a strong player & has been slowed by injuries. When your completion rate is around 59%, you can’t win in the NFL on a consistent basis. The risks of hiring Kap unfortunately exceed the rewards.
9
Lure D Lou -
Are you kidding me? "All athletes of color, college and pro, should talk to Colin. The fact that african american athletes at big-time schools rake in millions of dollars for their schools and rarely get a decent education is nothing short of a national disgrace and a purposeful lie...." Try removing the reference to color, strike the African American reference and just leave it at "ALL" - no need to paint this in racial overtones. Black, white, Hispanic, Asian...., the schools don't give a whit about any of them, their race, creed or color. The schools are equal opportunity abusers who treat them like indentured gladiators and willfully discard them when their time is up.
Are you kidding me? "All athletes of color, college and pro, should talk to Colin. The fact that african american athletes at big-time schools rake in millions of dollars for their schools and rarely get a decent education is nothing short of a national disgrace and a purposeful lie...." Try removing the reference to color, strike the African American reference and just leave it at "ALL" - no need to paint this in racial overtones. Black, white, Hispanic, Asian...., the schools don't give a whit about any of them, their race, creed or color. The schools are equal opportunity abusers who treat them like indentured gladiators and willfully discard them when their time is up.
1
Kaepernick's a brave and dedicated man. Very much on the side of history. Unlike the billionaire NFL team owners.
83
As a veteran I am not upset at all by Kaepernicks taking a knee during the anthem. He is not disrespectful of veterans as he said. He is opposing the murders of black men by the police and for that he has my admiration.
For the record, I'm an old white man...
For the record, I'm an old white man...
148
I, too, am an old white man and a veteran, and I totally agree.
2
An interesting look to the shaping of what some say a modern day hero in a civil time in history. Colin's early developments as a college athlete perhaps is what has shaped his mentality today. And what perhaps now people are starting to understand. Still unsigned, perhaps thats the personal sacrifice he has considered and made in order to spark conversation into sports. As most athletes know, politics whether you side with the left or right has never been a topic of discussion, always seen as a mere obstacle or distraction for players in the locker room.
Without encompassing his past season, Colin's career as a NFL quarterback has been stellar, who else can say that they've led their team to a superbowl before. What teams should now consider is what his athletic abilities are and not what has sparked conversation. While others may side with his view towards violence against black Americans, they too suggest that his action to kneel during the national anthem is a step too far. This is because many feel the respect you give when standing is to honour those that have fought for the freedom and lives of men and women in this country. Either way, we should respect the actions of a man whose always known of the consequences of his action. Know that its his right as many others in this country to stand for what he believes in.
Without encompassing his past season, Colin's career as a NFL quarterback has been stellar, who else can say that they've led their team to a superbowl before. What teams should now consider is what his athletic abilities are and not what has sparked conversation. While others may side with his view towards violence against black Americans, they too suggest that his action to kneel during the national anthem is a step too far. This is because many feel the respect you give when standing is to honour those that have fought for the freedom and lives of men and women in this country. Either way, we should respect the actions of a man whose always known of the consequences of his action. Know that its his right as many others in this country to stand for what he believes in.
4
Our forefathers chafed at idolatry and founded a nation seeded with liberty. As the seeds of liberty flower and blossom there are some who would forsake the very purpose of the American promise. A promise for freedom and opportunity and liberty for a all. A society free of class boundaries and racial and ethnic subjugation.
Colin Kapernick is bigger than football. He exposes the hypocrisy of the NFL and our nation as a whole. For that he is scorned. How ironic that a herold of liberty is shunned in a society that prides itself as being founded on the values of individual freedom. How painful for us to look inside ourselves and face the injustice that lies within.
Colin Kapernick is bigger than football. He exposes the hypocrisy of the NFL and our nation as a whole. For that he is scorned. How ironic that a herold of liberty is shunned in a society that prides itself as being founded on the values of individual freedom. How painful for us to look inside ourselves and face the injustice that lies within.
23
Hypocrisy? He starts this when he career is going downhill, not when he is at the top. He talks about his genetic testing, but only the African side, not the white side. He talks about police killings like they are happening exclusive to African-Americans, although they are happening to whites in greater numbers. He has the freedom to do and say whatever he pleases, but so do the rest of us.
4
I was brought up to not pledge allegiance to a flag. No one ever bothered me about it, as a child in school (when that was the beginning of each day), or as an adult in any context.
This new nationalistic fervor is just us dancing to a tune played by people who have no pride in the freedom that is the heart and soul of our country.
Go, Colin Kaepernick, be strong!
This new nationalistic fervor is just us dancing to a tune played by people who have no pride in the freedom that is the heart and soul of our country.
Go, Colin Kaepernick, be strong!
14
Thank you for the depth of the article. I learned from it: an awakening of self and a great desire to help others. I especially learned that indeed this man's actions were and are from the depths of his soul and heart.
11
Mr. Kaepernick is capable of much, much more than merely being a football player. He deserves our admiration and support.
15
He sounds like a great guy. Maybe go to grad school and forget football.
3
Kaepernick's method of protest and encouragement to improve how members of our society treat one another is a noble exercise of free speech. I support it fully. This is dignified courageous protest, and provides a tremendous contrast to the white supremacists march in Charlotte.
10
When did said march occur in Charlotte?
1
I respect Kaepernick for putting his money where his mouth is and being serious about exploring his history and culture. I wish other black and black biracial pro athletes would consider the meaning and optics of what they are doing and for whom.
5
Yes, the multi-millionaire us just so, so oppressed!
4
He's free to protest, and we're free to ignore him and the NFL.
4
There is a simple solution to the NFL national anthem controversy. Stop playing it. The NFL has basically coopted the anthem and the flag it honors for it's own commercial purposes. That's somehow OK but Kaepernick's rather principled abstention isn't. Why?
The NFL basically forces a bunch of black man to stand and honor this song that has a questionable history, from its arguably racist third verse to its winning out over other alternatives when it was written into law, via pressure from southern politicians still attempting to cover up their ancestor's racist sedition.
If only Kaepernick's detractors would spend as much time educating themselves about something, anything, as he has.
Then of course we have the likes of Michael Vick welcomed back into the league, no problem, but woe betide the man who stands up for his race as opposed to abusing animals.
The NFL is a joke.
The NFL basically forces a bunch of black man to stand and honor this song that has a questionable history, from its arguably racist third verse to its winning out over other alternatives when it was written into law, via pressure from southern politicians still attempting to cover up their ancestor's racist sedition.
If only Kaepernick's detractors would spend as much time educating themselves about something, anything, as he has.
Then of course we have the likes of Michael Vick welcomed back into the league, no problem, but woe betide the man who stands up for his race as opposed to abusing animals.
The NFL is a joke.
19
Ummm, the NFL isn't forcing anyone to stand and honor the national anthem. They can force you to wear certain shoes, but they've been supportive of athletes sitting or kneeling. It's the fans that don't like it. You know, the people that pay to watch the game?
2
The teams don't seem to be forcing any players to stand during the anthem. Your view of the national anthem needs citations, I've never heard of it. Frances Scott Key wrote the poem himself after the battle. The third verse is not racist, despite what you may have heard. As for spending time educating myself, what do you know of me? Nothing. You seem to be the one that needs educating, but I've got a feeling the truth will never make you happy. Michael Vick served his time, what would you have happen to him, permanent ostracism? I myself, could care less what athlete stands, kneels or sits during the anthem, but neither will I respect them. It is an empty gesture by people who are among the most favored in this nation.
The NFL is a business and the business revolves around winning championships. It's a team game, and only the best teams with the strongest commitment to the team's common objectives win championships.
Kaepernick has clearly demonstrated that his values and priorities - admirable though they may be - are not consistent with the laser focus necessary to win championships.
He has no place in professional football.
Kaepernick has clearly demonstrated that his values and priorities - admirable though they may be - are not consistent with the laser focus necessary to win championships.
He has no place in professional football.
8
'The NFL is a business and the business revolves around winning championships.'
While the NFL is indeed a business, at its core the NFL is part of the US entertainment industry. The football matches and the championships are merely a means to an end, which is to part enormous American crowds from their money while entertaining them.
The NFL is run by a cabal of very rich white men who coopt poorly educated young African American men, the descendants of America's slaves, into donning a uniform and helmet so that they can hurl themselves at each other to the delight of the mob. The eventual result in many of these young men is lifelong brain damage.
The sooner this brutal charade is brought to an end the better. In the meantime, the more that intelligent players challenge the pseudo-patriotic nonsense whipped up by the promoters, the more likely it is that fundamental change will be forced upon this rotten and abusive system.
While the NFL is indeed a business, at its core the NFL is part of the US entertainment industry. The football matches and the championships are merely a means to an end, which is to part enormous American crowds from their money while entertaining them.
The NFL is run by a cabal of very rich white men who coopt poorly educated young African American men, the descendants of America's slaves, into donning a uniform and helmet so that they can hurl themselves at each other to the delight of the mob. The eventual result in many of these young men is lifelong brain damage.
The sooner this brutal charade is brought to an end the better. In the meantime, the more that intelligent players challenge the pseudo-patriotic nonsense whipped up by the promoters, the more likely it is that fundamental change will be forced upon this rotten and abusive system.
3
I admire Kaepernick highly for what he has been willing to sacrifice for his beliefs. One thing not mentioned in this excellent article has to do with his adoptive parents: they are active members of a Lutheran congregation. I have no knowledge of the QB's current religious beliefs but cannot help but think that there is a residual understanding that one, like Luther, should be willing to protest evil conditions and face the consequences. This insight made Martin Luther King's father to change his own name and that of his young son, Michael, after learning more of the reformer's life while at a Baptist World Alliance meeting in Germany in the '30's.
3
Had he taken that knee while in possession of the starting QB job, there would be no problem.
2
If he'd have been taking a knee, to end the game, he'd still be the starter. Losing isn't a long-term career enhancement in the NFL.
1
Very well-written, thought-provoking article. This is an interesting young man whose mores are evolving, as all of ours should as we get older. My sons pointed him out to me a couple of years ago at a casino in Vegas, and he has Psalms tattooed on (as does my nephew). I loved the picture of Colin with his parents. The fact that his parents are white is fascinating and it was news to me. This man has had some fairly broad social exposure and should be able to make his own choices without the rest of us judging and vilifying.
6
A better question USA needs to ask itself is - why does the country need its national anthem be played before every game in every sport at every level? Take almost any other country on Earth and performances of national anthems are reserved exclusively for international competitions of national teams. And it makes perfect sense then. But why do it before NFL or MLB games? Or before high school football and basketball games? The only sensible answer is that it is done solely for "patriotic" indoctrination of the spectators - an act of pure political propaganda. Forcing everyone to participate in that sorry and totally unnecessary spectacle is a sign of totalitarian mentality contrary to the democratic principles the US claims to be founded on.
4
Canadian teams play O, Canada before contests.
Go to a movie in Taiwan and everyone stands for the national anthem prior to the opening credits.
Mainland China broadcasts state messaging throughout the day.
Standing for the anthem might be an artefact from a bygone era, but I truly don't see the harm in spending a couple of minutes doing something that binds us together. God knows there's not much else that brings us together.
Fear of nationalism is healthy, but the extremist nationalism that came with Trump is a product of demagoguery, not decades of practicing a sporting ritual.
Now, if it were pledging our loyalty to Chairman Trump, instead of the health of the nation, I'd be with you.
Go to a movie in Taiwan and everyone stands for the national anthem prior to the opening credits.
Mainland China broadcasts state messaging throughout the day.
Standing for the anthem might be an artefact from a bygone era, but I truly don't see the harm in spending a couple of minutes doing something that binds us together. God knows there's not much else that brings us together.
Fear of nationalism is healthy, but the extremist nationalism that came with Trump is a product of demagoguery, not decades of practicing a sporting ritual.
Now, if it were pledging our loyalty to Chairman Trump, instead of the health of the nation, I'd be with you.
2
Kaepernick, "taking a knee" during the playing of the anthem, is in of itself, a salute.
4
It takes courage to do what Colin Kaepernick has done and continues to do. And it isn't easy. As a medic during the Vietnam War I eventually had seen enough and took a position against the war and refused to wear my uniform in protest. And I paid a price, believe me. But looking back I'm certain if I hadn't listened to my conscience and acted on it I would have been full of regret the remainder of my life.
14
Colin Kaepernick took a stance that was considered "unAmerican". Now he is paying the price, not from what he did but what he would do to the NFL in terms of money. Too bad the NFL has its priorities mixed up -- money is more important than rectifying social inequities.
1
I know he makes a good social cause, but another reason he isn't getting picked up might be because he's not that great of a QB. I bet that plus the controversy is enough to make him toxic.
2
" up might be because he's not that great of a QB."
He may not be a great qb but he is certainly better than the majority of current backups in the league and maybe a few starters.
He may not be a great qb but he is certainly better than the majority of current backups in the league and maybe a few starters.
1
He's no Aaron Rodgers, but he's still better than some STARTERS, not to mention nearly every backup.
Some try to cast Kaepernick in the mold of Tommie Smith and John Carlos but I don't agree with that comparison. Civil rights in America have come a long way since the late 1960s. African-Americans have many laws on their side, such as Affirmative Action, which gives them an advantage in hiring and admission to higher education. Kaepernick represents a privileged class of African Americans who have benefited from their athletic ability. Unless he has squandered his money, he should be a millionaire. He has gained a celebrity cult-like status for his refusal to respect the flag of the nation to which he belongs. Again his protest comes amid significant progress made by African Americans as compared to 1968 when Smith and Carlos raised black fisted gloves during the medal ceremony at the 1968 Olympic Games. I don't see the comparison. Such a comparison only exists for those who don't know history. I heard a story on NPR the other day about Anquan Boldin, a wide receiver with the Buffalo Bills, who has retired from the NFL to pursue a career in promoting social justice. Why doesn't Kaepernick do that? Why doesn't he do something constructive and meaningful? I have more respect for Boldin than I do Kaepernick. I believe that if Kaepernick wants to play football perhaps he should look to the Canadian Football League, which has long been an alternative for African Americans who can't make it in the NFL.
8
Who says he hasn't? The reality is that for all the protests about him not getting an NFL roster spot, Kaepernick has said nothing about it. This is telling. For all intents and purposes, Kaepernick has moved on even as others have not. Silence says a lot more than words.
As for Black progress: Certainly it has been made. But it has taken more than 400 years to go from being slaves to being second-class citizens. The legacy of America's Original Sin, which can be seen even in the National Anthem, remains part of the problem in making future progress. To argue that there are no more issues left because Black people are no longer enslaved or banned from the front of the bus is to ignore the statistics on how Black children are provided low-quality education, how Black men are killed by cops for the same incidents that Whites are arrested for, and how laws are used to punish Black people daily.
As for Black progress: Certainly it has been made. But it has taken more than 400 years to go from being slaves to being second-class citizens. The legacy of America's Original Sin, which can be seen even in the National Anthem, remains part of the problem in making future progress. To argue that there are no more issues left because Black people are no longer enslaved or banned from the front of the bus is to ignore the statistics on how Black children are provided low-quality education, how Black men are killed by cops for the same incidents that Whites are arrested for, and how laws are used to punish Black people daily.
" Why doesn't Kaepernick do that?"
Maybe because he doesn't want to do that and he has that right.
Maybe because he doesn't want to do that and he has that right.
@Mack Simmons,
If as you write, "Kaepernick has moved on even as others have not." True, as exemplified by the article and others like it which have appeared in this newspaper. As for black men being killed by cops it is because they refuse to obey the law, resist arrest and, in the case of Michael Brown, taunt police. They bring their misery on themselves. At some point, it becomes their responsible to reform their behavior. Thank you.
If as you write, "Kaepernick has moved on even as others have not." True, as exemplified by the article and others like it which have appeared in this newspaper. As for black men being killed by cops it is because they refuse to obey the law, resist arrest and, in the case of Michael Brown, taunt police. They bring their misery on themselves. At some point, it becomes their responsible to reform their behavior. Thank you.
3
The man has a right to say what he wants. As do those who listen to him and watch. I respect him and that. But why does no one address the fact that all these men, white and (proportionately speaking) mostly black, are in servitude to the machine of the NFL and one day because of CTE many of them will not even remember what they were doing on the field - playing protesting. As an older man I've learned that history makes Neanderthals of us all and history will not treat the NFL, ESPN and other moneymaking outlets or the current NFL fans well.
2
Are you kidding? Boxing is still legal! Cage fighting is legal! It's awful.
Looks to me like both parties are getting what they want. Kaepernick going about his advocacy, the NFL making billions without having to deal with a source of controversy.
The question that his article should have sought to answer is "Does Kaepernick even want to play football anymore?" I don't think he does.
It's not like he was supposedly blacklisted solely for his kneeling. Look at his last season which was truly awful.
The question that his article should have sought to answer is "Does Kaepernick even want to play football anymore?" I don't think he does.
It's not like he was supposedly blacklisted solely for his kneeling. Look at his last season which was truly awful.
3
Right, 16 td's and four interceptions is absolutely awful.
1
Speaking truth to power - in a silent kinda way. Well done. For shame NFL owners: Disgraceful.
2
At least Kaepernick is using his 'voice'. That's above and beyond the (non-) actions of most all of Congress, if not many Americans.
2
He will be remembered in the same way that Tommie Smith and John Carlos are remembered for their Black Power protest during the 1968 Olympic Games. That is to say, for most people not at all.
2
He sounds like that rarest of beings--a truly good, decent, great-hearted, thoughtful, courageous man.
As great a player as he is, I hope he never plays football again. He's obviously a really intelligent man, and every time he goes on the field, he risks chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). To paraphrase Arthur Fletcher, "His good mind would be a terrible thing to waste."
As great a player as he is, I hope he never plays football again. He's obviously a really intelligent man, and every time he goes on the field, he risks chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). To paraphrase Arthur Fletcher, "His good mind would be a terrible thing to waste."
3
This is a media created firestorm and his kneeling would have gotten little reaction if the media hadn't incessantly covered it. It reminds me of the Pastor Jones debacle where they took an unimportant person who disrespected the Koran and covered it until the entire Muslim world was rioting over it.
Having said that, I couldn't care less that Kaepernick can't find a job. A Seattle Marinier's player was suspended for criticizing BLM on social media. Johnny Rocker had his athletic career destroyed for saying some things that were 100% true. Over the last 8 years many people have gotten fired for sayin "All Lives Matter" and criticizing BLM.
And don't say he's being persecuted for "fighting racism": he has worn socks had had pigs on them, an intentional reference to cops. He's made comments that demonize whites and America. It's also hard to call his an anti-racist activist when his racial advocacy never includes criticism of his own race. That isn't anti-racism, it's racial supremacy. He should focus on the misogyny and homophobia in the NFL along with those things, anti-Semitism, and anti-Asian racism in the black community. Now that would be brave and noble.
Having said that, I couldn't care less that Kaepernick can't find a job. A Seattle Marinier's player was suspended for criticizing BLM on social media. Johnny Rocker had his athletic career destroyed for saying some things that were 100% true. Over the last 8 years many people have gotten fired for sayin "All Lives Matter" and criticizing BLM.
And don't say he's being persecuted for "fighting racism": he has worn socks had had pigs on them, an intentional reference to cops. He's made comments that demonize whites and America. It's also hard to call his an anti-racist activist when his racial advocacy never includes criticism of his own race. That isn't anti-racism, it's racial supremacy. He should focus on the misogyny and homophobia in the NFL along with those things, anti-Semitism, and anti-Asian racism in the black community. Now that would be brave and noble.
4
Patriotism as a reason to silence and discredit Mr. Kaepernick is incredibly misguided. Veterans proudly serve and die to afford all Americans the right to dissent and seek redress. We Americans should never value patriotism for its own sake. I'd gladly never sing our dear national anthem again if that would bring about a more just and perfect union. I care much more about the American people then a sacred song.
2
It seems like he's the only one thinking or raising questions about our culture and history in a stadium of thousands of brain dead people. The drones don't want anything to distract them from their pleasures and don't want to be reminded of reality.
To me, to not do something or say something about the injustice and violence is the shameful and unpatriotic thing to do.
To me, to not do something or say something about the injustice and violence is the shameful and unpatriotic thing to do.
1
Although Kaepernick's act gave notice to a long standing pathology, that same act of protest, on a larger stage, led to the death of a dreamer who was not only protesting the oppression of a particular race but also to save the whole of homo sapiens! So Kaepernick may lose all the gifts of the world because he stands against the blind dogma of the crowd. But his sacrifice, like the dreamer, is worthwhile because it continues the effort to lift humanity from its oligarchical inspired but Cosmically disastrous obsession with the objectification of racial distinctions which have NO actual relevance in this place we call the UNI-verse!
"The gull sees farthest who flies highest." - fr. Jonathan Livingston Seagull
"The gull sees farthest who flies highest." - fr. Jonathan Livingston Seagull
While he may draw a somewhat misplaced comparison to the individual protest of Muhammed Ali, Colin Kapernick is no George Foreman.
1
Its utterly wrong, inaccurate, and sloppy to describe Kaepernick as "divisive." Kaepernick isn't the problem, racism against African-Americans is. Its racism against African-Americans in particular, and people of color in general that is divisive, not Kaepernick's gentle stand. To repeat a now hackneyed term used by politicians, its unexamined racism, racism that White folk in particular are in denial about, that "Divides America." If Reagan was the great communicator, Donald is the great divider.
I am white. Yes, I have had the occasional experience, perhaps 3 or 4 times, of what you maybe, and i do say maybe, could call racism, from a person of color. And what was it? Being treated rudely? Coldly? That is nothing compared to the hateful anti-semitic experiences I have had with my fellow White Americans, even fellow acupuncturists that I apprenticed with as a student in San Diego.
Yet, how does that compare to feeling that my life is at risk from White cops every time i step behind the wheel of my car or run down the street? To having a cop single me out and put a gun to my head and threaten to blow my black head off as was recently done to an NFL star in Las Vegas.
Until the US starts speaking openly and honestly about racism, we will always be divided, as we were when those "heroic" soldiers in grey whose statues are coming down revolted against and tried to destroy the USA for their right to continue to own and enslave African American human beings.
I am white. Yes, I have had the occasional experience, perhaps 3 or 4 times, of what you maybe, and i do say maybe, could call racism, from a person of color. And what was it? Being treated rudely? Coldly? That is nothing compared to the hateful anti-semitic experiences I have had with my fellow White Americans, even fellow acupuncturists that I apprenticed with as a student in San Diego.
Yet, how does that compare to feeling that my life is at risk from White cops every time i step behind the wheel of my car or run down the street? To having a cop single me out and put a gun to my head and threaten to blow my black head off as was recently done to an NFL star in Las Vegas.
Until the US starts speaking openly and honestly about racism, we will always be divided, as we were when those "heroic" soldiers in grey whose statues are coming down revolted against and tried to destroy the USA for their right to continue to own and enslave African American human beings.
4
Freedom of speech always comes with a price. A big price as Kaepernick knows all too well.
When you think of all these so-called tough guys (Rae Lewis, Floyd Mayweather, Colin McGregor, Mike Tyson, et al), none have the courage to do what Kapernick has done. To put it another way: they are all cowards.
When you think of all these so-called tough guys (Rae Lewis, Floyd Mayweather, Colin McGregor, Mike Tyson, et al), none have the courage to do what Kapernick has done. To put it another way: they are all cowards.
3
I consider myself to be a social democrat, a genuine lefty in favor of much higher tax rates, liberal treatment of illegal aliens and all that stuff. But I think these football "protesters" should be banned from the sport.
Ray Lewis said the Ravens were ready to sign him a few days ago, but Kaepernick's girlfriend insulted the Baltimore owner. His exile is a combination of talent and politics. Tom Brady could give the Pope his middle finger and teams would still offer him millions. But why take a chance on a backup with baggage?
1
That story about the Ravens makes no sense whatsoever. The team never intended to sign Colin.
1
Well, it's in The Baltimore Sun, who I would think would have some pretty good sources inside the Ravens organization:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/baltimore-sports-blog/bs-sp-ravens-ra...
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/baltimore-sports-blog/bs-sp-ravens-ra...
2
So what's the big deal if he doesn't get back to the NFL. He's got millions
very well educated and set up for life. A lot of Americans get by with a minimum salary. To me he has the right to do whatever he did but at the same time there
are unintended consequences to one's actions. And those consequences he might not have foreseen or liked.
very well educated and set up for life. A lot of Americans get by with a minimum salary. To me he has the right to do whatever he did but at the same time there
are unintended consequences to one's actions. And those consequences he might not have foreseen or liked.
1
Hard to see sincerity in a guy who admits he never votes (or so he said between kisses to his biceps).
2
Strange how the US flag is the target of this misguided person.
The flag represents all of us.
Strange that this misguided person only "protests" on television.
How about protesting in the parking lot?
Strange that the NY Times keeps trying to keep this old story in the "news."
If this misguided person were any other race, it would not.
Strange how the NY Times only sees "racism" as affecting one race.
It happens to ALL of us. Try being the only nonblack person on the 5 train.
Strange how the NY Times is pumping out clickbait like this.
It must need clicks to show its advertisers.
Strange how the Washington Post is not pumping out non-news like this.
Guess they still know what journalism is.
The flag represents all of us.
Strange that this misguided person only "protests" on television.
How about protesting in the parking lot?
Strange that the NY Times keeps trying to keep this old story in the "news."
If this misguided person were any other race, it would not.
Strange how the NY Times only sees "racism" as affecting one race.
It happens to ALL of us. Try being the only nonblack person on the 5 train.
Strange how the NY Times is pumping out clickbait like this.
It must need clicks to show its advertisers.
Strange how the Washington Post is not pumping out non-news like this.
Guess they still know what journalism is.
2
I was the only black person on a cross-country flight from Los Angeles last week. I didn't know that was a racist situation.
Actually the WP has an extended article about Kap in today's edition. 9/8/17.
Kaepernick broke the Golden Rule of the NFL. Pro players should be seen and not heard unless you are speaking out for the fight against breast cancer. I give him credit for having the willingness to sacrifice his career and endorsements to take a stand on principle. He understood that our actions as a Nation must match our ideals as well. What is a powerful symbol like the flag if we don't strive for equality and freedom for all of our citizens regardless of race or ethnicity. He used the largest platform at the time to spread his message, the N.F.L. He waged a silent protest from the sidelines that spoke volumes and caused our Nation to wake from its stupor of collective amnesia. For race has been the original sin of our country. From the very beginning we preached freedom to the rest of the world even though a third of the population was in chains. We preached freedom when we fought two world wars even though Jim Crow was legal. We preached freedom in the 21st Century even though black men could be killed with impunity by rogue police officers. Kaepernick forced us to confront our imperfections as a Nation and as a Society. Amen, brother. I salute you as a three tour combat vet of Iraq. For you were willing to raise your voice where others remained silent to protect their livelihood, position, and status.
5
Kap has re-defined the definition of an activist ... you can be one while doing and saying nothing (since the initial act and explanation for not respecting the national anthem) while looking for an NFL job. Unfortunately, the media has labeled him an "activist" which the NFL does not want. Meanwhile, Kap remains as silent as ever waiting for an NFL team to call.
2
Look at what has happened to this country with conservative neoliberal ideology, drastically reduced (or avoided) taxes by 1-10% millionaires and billionaires (like NFL owners), and unfettered corporate global capitalism (driven in large part by monopolistic tech companies) calling all the shots: 1) Many of us in the 90% have been humiliated to the point where we are retreating into ethnic and cultural tribal animosity, often directing our ire at each other instead of the millionaires and billionaires that are responsible for the current economic situation in the country. 2) We frame liberation mostly in the narrowest of of gender, sexual -orientation, and culture of origin terms, with the grandest reward as the posting our opinions on online message boards and in the corporate tech social media that degrades our economy. 3) We have upwards of 50 million people in the United States who were not born here, and whose assumptions about the meaning of "America" (and whose economic conditions) are so disparate that it has created an endless disagreement and gridlock, benefiting the corporate stooges are trickle-down economic policy that has finally reached its goal of ending the American middle class, creating a new Gilded Age America, a return to the 19th century. I would argue that all of us coming together and protesting (and changing) this horrible economic system would bring more harmony than what Kaep is doing. Not that I am against it in the slightest.
Yep. We're addicted to reality TV!
It's much easier to have an opinion than to study and know the issues.
It's much easier to have an opinion than to study and know the issues.
1
I can respect what Kap is doing, but at the same time it's hard to respect his supporters. To blame the NFL or racism for Kap's situation is ridiculous. The NFL is a business...a business that offers entertainment. Anything that threatens the bottom line won't be tolerated...period. If this business were any business other than sports it wouldn't even be a conversation. The fan base is no small point when it comes to trying to figure out why Kap isn't in the NFL. The fan loyalists don’t want him. They made that clear in everything from informal polls to loud protests & boos when he appeared in their town during last season. Those loyalists are for the most part blue collar, middle class, football junkies who year in & year out, pack stadiums, plop down tens of millions for tickets, & assorted NFL paraphernalia.
Giants owner John Mara said even though the team never considered signing Kap in the first place, fan mail was a concern. “All my years being in the league, I never received more emotional mail from people than I did about that issue,” Mara said. “If any of your players ever do that, we are never coming to another Giants game. It wasn’t one or two letters. It was a lot. It’s an emotional issue for a lot of people.” The other reason Kap isn’t in the NFL is that he just isn’t a strong player & has been slowed by injuries. When your completion rate is around 59%, you can’t win in the NFL on a consistent basis. The risks of hiring Kap unfortunately exceed the rewards.
Giants owner John Mara said even though the team never considered signing Kap in the first place, fan mail was a concern. “All my years being in the league, I never received more emotional mail from people than I did about that issue,” Mara said. “If any of your players ever do that, we are never coming to another Giants game. It wasn’t one or two letters. It was a lot. It’s an emotional issue for a lot of people.” The other reason Kap isn’t in the NFL is that he just isn’t a strong player & has been slowed by injuries. When your completion rate is around 59%, you can’t win in the NFL on a consistent basis. The risks of hiring Kap unfortunately exceed the rewards.
2
Its absurd to think the NFL is punishing him - their control of the game is absolute. They can penalize a player for wearing the wrong socks. They can convict you of domestic violence, in their own kangaroo court. Yet, they've don't nothing to Kaepernick. They've let him continue his protest, but it's a two-way street - he has the right to kneel and people have the right to criticize him.
The real story is he got beat out in SF because his skills have slipped and he's just not good enough to be a starter anymore. No team wants a back-up player that causes distractions - it's bad for business. And the NFL is a business. Hey, Kaepernick should know, he graduated from college with a business degree. Stop crying and move on.
The real story is he got beat out in SF because his skills have slipped and he's just not good enough to be a starter anymore. No team wants a back-up player that causes distractions - it's bad for business. And the NFL is a business. Hey, Kaepernick should know, he graduated from college with a business degree. Stop crying and move on.
3
He opted out of a contract on an ego-centric belief (reinforced by many comments here) that his social stance would benefit and somehow enhance, psychically, his talent.
He blew it.
He blew it.
2
Mr. Kaepernick certainly certainly has every right to sit or stand during the National Anthem but, by the same token the owners of NFL teams, regardless of the color of their skin, have the right to employ or not employ anyone they see fit to. It is important to recognize that Mr. Kaepernick is man enough to accept his employment situation
1
If his football career is truly over, due undoubtably to blacklisting, he will hopefully continue to have a productive and long life; perhaps made longer by fewer blows to the head and the ensuing CTE that is sure to follow.
A very honorable and moral humanitarian worthy of our highest admiration.
A very honorable and moral humanitarian worthy of our highest admiration.
2
I know nothing of American football, other than it seems to be a national deflection and obsession.
I do however, remember Mohammed Ali. Another black man who thought outside the box of the money that white promoters could make from him.
I wish Mr. Kaepernick all the best. He is young. I hope his years of playing football will not have damaged his brain. He seems like he has a lot to offer off the field. I hope this works out for him, and the society he lives in.
I do however, remember Mohammed Ali. Another black man who thought outside the box of the money that white promoters could make from him.
I wish Mr. Kaepernick all the best. He is young. I hope his years of playing football will not have damaged his brain. He seems like he has a lot to offer off the field. I hope this works out for him, and the society he lives in.
1
I support the guy. I also wonder why we pledge allegiance to the flag before professional sports games. Seems silly. Let's just get rid of the tradition.
Jealousy. Those who criticize Colin Kaepernick do so if jealousy. Jealousy for the courage he demonstrated to stand up for what he believes regardless of the consequences.
Few Americans would have the courage to jeopardize their future for what they believe. I admire Kaepernick's courage. He deserves the best.
Few Americans would have the courage to jeopardize their future for what they believe. I admire Kaepernick's courage. He deserves the best.
2
UNITED STATES CODE
TITLE 36
CHAPTER 10
§176. Respect for flag
(c) The flag should never be carried flat or horizontally, but always aloft and free.
The NFL puts on pre-game and halftime shows in which a bunch of people surround a huge flag and hold it by its edges while carrying it flat and horizontally.
What is the NFL protesting?
TITLE 36
CHAPTER 10
§176. Respect for flag
(c) The flag should never be carried flat or horizontally, but always aloft and free.
The NFL puts on pre-game and halftime shows in which a bunch of people surround a huge flag and hold it by its edges while carrying it flat and horizontally.
What is the NFL protesting?
2
Yet another athlete finds a creative way to mess up a high paying career.
1
Right or wrong, let him be!
Lol. "He's a stand up guy". No, he's an un-American "not stand up" guy. The big loser never wore his country's uniform, (only true patriots have done that) for the only uniform he's ever worn is that of a child's game, football.
2
Kaepernick is an allegory to what happens to those that don't vote.
1
Does anyone think it's ok for police to kill blacks when use of deadly force was clearly unnecessary? Does anyone think that police who use deadly force without proper cause should not be charged with murder? Does anyone think the USA should become a police state, like the Soviet Union under Stalin or Red China under Mao?
Kaepernick didn't think so. Neither do I. He thought the USA is better than this. So do I.
Kaepernick didn't think so. Neither do I. He thought the USA is better than this. So do I.
2
'They bathe their games in overtly patriotic ceremonies and discourage players, mostly hidden behind masks and uniforms of armor, from individual acts of showmanship.'
I first read this as:
'They bathe their games in overly patriotic ceremonies and discourage players, mostly hidden behind masks and uniforms of armor, from individual acts of showmanship.'
I first read this as:
'They bathe their games in overly patriotic ceremonies and discourage players, mostly hidden behind masks and uniforms of armor, from individual acts of showmanship.'
1
Colin Kaepernick Tim Tebow . Both brought personal beliefs to a sports field, wrongly.
How sad,, those who support Kaepernick can't stand Tebow..Tebow supporters vilify Kaepernick.
How sad,, those who support Kaepernick can't stand Tebow..Tebow supporters vilify Kaepernick.
1
I'm kind of sentimental about the flag and the anthem, but I understand his reasons for refusing to stand. I will never, however, understand the current fad of resting one's hand near one's left shoulder during the song. Hand on heart? Have they no inkling of human anatomy? Do they not know the difference between reciting the pledge and singing the anthem?
I'll read the article tomorrow. Late and I gotta sleep.
But, even without reading this I know one thing.
Kaepernick has rights granted by the Constitution and, according to Thomas Jefferson, by the Creator.
Inalienable rights.
Rights that come just by the fact that you pop out of your mama.
Human rights.
To express oneself, freely.
You can disagree with Kaepernick.
Of course.
But how about respecting each other and realizing that this debate, this disagreement, this FREE expression, as we individually see fit is EXACTLY what the Founders wanted us to do and EXACTLY what it means to be an American.
Your fellow American gets to express him/herself.
And, you are their fellow American.
See how nicely that works out?
Show respect.
Get respect.
Lower the temperature.
Honor each other.
Love each other.
And it will all be OK.
It really will.
It's the American way.
But, even without reading this I know one thing.
Kaepernick has rights granted by the Constitution and, according to Thomas Jefferson, by the Creator.
Inalienable rights.
Rights that come just by the fact that you pop out of your mama.
Human rights.
To express oneself, freely.
You can disagree with Kaepernick.
Of course.
But how about respecting each other and realizing that this debate, this disagreement, this FREE expression, as we individually see fit is EXACTLY what the Founders wanted us to do and EXACTLY what it means to be an American.
Your fellow American gets to express him/herself.
And, you are their fellow American.
See how nicely that works out?
Show respect.
Get respect.
Lower the temperature.
Honor each other.
Love each other.
And it will all be OK.
It really will.
It's the American way.
1
Free to express his opinions as a private citizen, si. Whether he had the license as a professional football player, belonging to a team, which he did not own?
Maybe he should have done himself many other people a favor and quit the team first.
Lastly, his gesture was like one hand clapping. Had he executed a concomitant responsibility to call for non-violent protests in the wake of the deaths of black men, he might have cut himself some slack in the arena known as professional football.
The thinnest pancake has two sides: perhaps a case of good initiative highly-questionable judgment.
Maybe he should have done himself many other people a favor and quit the team first.
Lastly, his gesture was like one hand clapping. Had he executed a concomitant responsibility to call for non-violent protests in the wake of the deaths of black men, he might have cut himself some slack in the arena known as professional football.
The thinnest pancake has two sides: perhaps a case of good initiative highly-questionable judgment.
1
Kaepernick in 2020 makes sense.
How dare our millionaire entertainers have an opinion about anything? Gladiators are in the arena to entertain the audience and not make them feel uncomfortable. There is talk of football is a game and politics has no place here. In truth it is no one really wants to see how the sausage is made. Black Lives Matter really means Black Lives Should Matter Also. Since we as a nation can't come to grips with our institutionalized racism and the two tiered justice system we live under we have to destroy Kaepernick. Football is watched all over the world and how could we show the world that one of our Black Guys who have made it in not happy about the treatment of those who have not? Like cops can't bring themselves to ostracize bad cops we can't admit our justice system is not blind when dealing with people of color. We love our sports figures of color until we find out they have feelings.If all of the people who are feigning outrage about Kaepernick's action truly believed in liberty they would be defending his right to knell. it truly amazes me that so much attention is given to an event where you have guys running around in tights chasing a pigs skin. Its only a game! If we paid this much attention to the education of our kids just think how things would be?
4
You stand for the National Anthem
You respect the police
You vote at election time
You excel in your chosen field
He didn't have an awakening
He faced disappointment for the first time
So he cried and lashed out
You respect the police
You vote at election time
You excel in your chosen field
He didn't have an awakening
He faced disappointment for the first time
So he cried and lashed out
1
Perhaps some are angry that they were denied a job, promotion or admittance to a university due to affirmative action.
Perhaps some are angry that OJ Simpson was acquitted.
Perhaps some are angry that people like Al Sharpton were never held accountable for their race baiting.
Should they take a knee as well?
Perhaps some are angry that OJ Simpson was acquitted.
Perhaps some are angry that people like Al Sharpton were never held accountable for their race baiting.
Should they take a knee as well?
1
I suppose if they feel strongly enough about it.
Thank you for doing this story. I'm not a football fan, so knew nothing about this man except that he refused to stand for the anthem and got reamed by the right for it. As someone else noted, he's far too bright a man to get his brain knocked about in the NFL - I look forward to hearing more about the good things he's doing.
This whole affair is extremely distressing to the American psyche. But, what makes this worthy of discussion is that it is also extremely costly to Kaepernick. This is not a knee-jerk slacktivist with little to lose. Rather, he has sacrificed (?) a lucrative career on principle. We should all be so strong.
2
I think the writer meant to say that Colin recently took the GMAT not the GRE. (please either correct the article or me)
I won't editorialize beyond that.
I won't editorialize beyond that.
I would have more respect for him if he had voted in November. He admits he did not.
31
Your respect is useless. He is entitled to not vote, especially if he doesn't believe any of the candidates are capable of delivering the needed social change.
1
Yeah. That's my litmus test for respect. If all the young "woke" activists were as eager to vote as they were to protest, things would be a lot different. Encouraging your fans to show up at the ballot box for everty election—city council, primary, off-year, presidential—is the best way to effect change.
1
This makes me sad. Certainly the article shows he is thoughtful and deliberate. I would be really curious to know why he didn't, the full explanation. The length and depth of this article prove how much more interesting and nuanced the larger conversations can be. Why dismiss so flippantly?
1
As far as I know, Kaepernick hasn't committed any of the offenses typical of the lumbering, low-brow brutes of the NFL. No domestic violence, no animal abuse, no gun play, no murder, no hazing of team mates.
He seems to be willing to suffer the consequences of his beliefs without whining or painting himself as a victim.
If his career in football is over at age 28, then so what?
He's got a lot of living to do and he's shown he intends to do it honorably.
Rock on, dude.
He seems to be willing to suffer the consequences of his beliefs without whining or painting himself as a victim.
If his career in football is over at age 28, then so what?
He's got a lot of living to do and he's shown he intends to do it honorably.
Rock on, dude.
288
Those lumbering low brow brutes, do not have a higher, in fact may be lower domestic violence record than any other group in same age bracket. We don't even need to talk about those one off offenses that again are career ending for non other than an African Man in, America, who loves to lynch the Black him. NFL playerss are poster boys for domestic violence complete with a 3 ring White Devils in a bue dress Emmett Till consultant circus, why? White Owners, White Policemen, White ESPN News Networks Corporate Execs and Commentators are widely known for their domestic violence, yet I don't see their employers having the right to set a parallel injustice system linking their jobs to any Chicken Head that loves to suck D, but calls rape/abuse when things don't go according to her rachette plan. Are there more gun play and murder than White NRA gun owners, yet it's just their 2nd Right protecting their 1st Right to freedom! Hazing of team mates, created, practiced, and learned from the best White boys will be boys in college. Never are those groups called lumbering low brow brutes. They are heroes, intelligent, smart cunning business men, patriots, good citizens, americans, president...Hmmmm...Critical Thinking
2
@Third. Coast: Excellent points you have made. However. most important for CK is to remain employable and to find another starting quarterback job, and to avoid injury. Moreover, he should know that his annual salary as an NFL quarterback is more than the combined salaries of many west African soccer teams combined. This is really about team discipline more than anything else. Best players are often shunned by teams because they are hard to get along with.CK only has so many years left to play, and perhaps he should not squander them by such a silly gesture as kneeling when the National Anthem is played.Can he name a country better than the US?
Great BEAUTIFUL article!
16
Kaepernick is a hero. the NFL is already highly politicized and militarized. the Star Spangled Banner was written by an apologist for slavery and ends to be discarded.
This guy is a highly intelligent, committed and effective American in the very best sense of the word, a true patriot. More power to him and those who support him. And shame, as always, on the greed-driven concussive NFL and all its reactionary billionaire owners.
This guy is a highly intelligent, committed and effective American in the very best sense of the word, a true patriot. More power to him and those who support him. And shame, as always, on the greed-driven concussive NFL and all its reactionary billionaire owners.
78
Wasn't the star-spangled banner the flag under which almost 400,000 Union soldiers (almost all of them white) laid down their lives so that slavery could be abolished?
I was and am a fan of Kaepernick as a Forty Niner fan. I had no objection to his protest. That, however, is not what I wish to address. Both he and former president Obama are half white, yet neither he nor the former president see themselves as anything other than African American. In fact the whole country sees it that way. What does this say about America? That we see the taint of African blood above simple statistics and logic? If you flipped a coin that said white on one side and black on the other, how many of us would identify the coin as a black coin. Kaepernick relates how other people set him apart from his family when he was growing up. Race, prejudice and America are intertwined. This is not ending any time soon.
55
Perhaps Obama and CK created a picture of themselves that others reacted to...no that other way around. The NY Times never referred to Obama as our first half-Black president. And if anyone played the race card better than Jessie Jackson it was Obama.
1
Silly.
Honestly biracial was touted for Obama but any biracial person that appears to be more black is viewed and treated as Black this is especially so for males. Both these men you mention were raised by white families, Obama's maternal grand parents and Kapernick by adoptive parents. IF you were unaware of their gene.pool how would YOU view them? Recall the biracial tennis player and how he was treated by NYPD. It was not until cell phones that many whites start to see the crude way cops sometimes behave in dealing with Black Americans and even with documented evidence lots of people leap to defend oor justify cop actions.
seek out and hear the stories of biracial folk that look white, or a white man with children of color. It is eye opening.
.
Honestly biracial was touted for Obama but any biracial person that appears to be more black is viewed and treated as Black this is especially so for males. Both these men you mention were raised by white families, Obama's maternal grand parents and Kapernick by adoptive parents. IF you were unaware of their gene.pool how would YOU view them? Recall the biracial tennis player and how he was treated by NYPD. It was not until cell phones that many whites start to see the crude way cops sometimes behave in dealing with Black Americans and even with documented evidence lots of people leap to defend oor justify cop actions.
seek out and hear the stories of biracial folk that look white, or a white man with children of color. It is eye opening.
.
2
In considering your words.. have you ever spoken with a white women that has black sons. she can tell you of the fears/worries. OR read about the mayor of NY he has biracial children ask him how the kids are treated, you can read it for yourself. NONE of these kids are denying or picking favorites they are dealing with reality.
I've been gobsmacked at the level of discriminatory outrage sparked by a young football player's simple, silent non-violent protest.
That he's taking a stand against white cops killing blacks is understandable, reasonable and logical. Everyone should be so concerned. Anyone here want to raise their hand to deny that's been happening too often in the U.S.?
Better that this intellectual young man continue to go where his curiosity takes him, grow his wisdom, and be the generous the giver he is to underserved charities. Maybe, write a book to share his journey as did another young black man, Barrack Obama with "Lessons from my Father."
Sometimes, things work out exactly as they were meant to be. Kaepernick may mercifully be spared the concussive brain injury recently found by researchers in 110 or 111 former NFL players' brains.
He may live a long life as a thinker and a teacher. He may find a way to make his free camps for children a lasting tradition, one that spreads to many communities.
At camp, Kaepernick teaches kids they have Ten Rights: "the right to be free, healthy, brilliant, safe, loved, courageous, alive, trusted, educated and to know my rights."
I can't think of anything more worthwhile.
That he's taking a stand against white cops killing blacks is understandable, reasonable and logical. Everyone should be so concerned. Anyone here want to raise their hand to deny that's been happening too often in the U.S.?
Better that this intellectual young man continue to go where his curiosity takes him, grow his wisdom, and be the generous the giver he is to underserved charities. Maybe, write a book to share his journey as did another young black man, Barrack Obama with "Lessons from my Father."
Sometimes, things work out exactly as they were meant to be. Kaepernick may mercifully be spared the concussive brain injury recently found by researchers in 110 or 111 former NFL players' brains.
He may live a long life as a thinker and a teacher. He may find a way to make his free camps for children a lasting tradition, one that spreads to many communities.
At camp, Kaepernick teaches kids they have Ten Rights: "the right to be free, healthy, brilliant, safe, loved, courageous, alive, trusted, educated and to know my rights."
I can't think of anything more worthwhile.
123
What exactly changed in the United States that Kaepernick is willing to stand for the anthem? Seems to me he found activism when his career was stalling and tried to use that as a shield to not get fired. It's not hard to look up for grass roots SJW organizations and write a 25000 check when you're a millionaire. At least now, hopefully, people will realize that American flag is not a protest object. Good riddance to Kaepernick.
20
This logic is woeful. Maybe you should try again.
Karpernak is a super intelligent human being. He is also a very talented football player. I find it sad, at the very least, that the owners, coaches, etc. will not hire him due to his expression of his beliefs. Well... football is just a silly brain damaging game. Kaepernak has so much more to offer the world than playing football has to offer him.
But at the end of it all- too many good men and women have fought and, scarified in defense of that flag for me to think well of Kaepernick.
He's not a hero. He's just a townsman of a stiller town.
He's not a hero. He's just a townsman of a stiller town.
1
“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's contract was reported to have a maximum value of $126 million and a record $61 million in guaranteed money. Apparently, in his disdain for his country, he has made an exception that covers the greenbacks printed by that country, his pledge to give away a whopping 1.6% of his guaranteed money, notwithstanding.
Kaepernick's contract was reported to have a maximum value of $126 million and a record $61 million in guaranteed money. Apparently, in his disdain for his country, he has made an exception that covers the greenbacks printed by that country, his pledge to give away a whopping 1.6% of his guaranteed money, notwithstanding.
11
“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color”.
So he's not gonna stand for the flag of any African country or Arab country right?
So he's not gonna stand for the flag of any African country or Arab country right?
1
Got a problem with chump change? Look at the likes of Sheldon Adelson and the Koch's in support of a Fascist president and his Fascist staff. That's where the problems in America emanate from. Kaepernick gives to those who are helping improve the lives of Americans not subjugate them to the likes of the KKK.
He doesn't distain his country.
Americans and especially the NFL and writers and media publishers need to remember the '43, 6-3 decision in West Virginia v. Barnette, which forever separated the concept of free speech and religion in America , and made the refusal to swear allegiance to the flag or such other symbol, to be the business not of schools, colleges or even , I would presume, of NFL owners who may believe they control most of the rest of American society. Maybe they do but Justice Jackson's majority opinion, gave the right to make this decision to individuals, and no one else.
Besides, I never liked American football anyway.Much better way to spend your time is on your butt, not praying and swearing blood oaths to pieces of cloth.
Besides, I never liked American football anyway.Much better way to spend your time is on your butt, not praying and swearing blood oaths to pieces of cloth.
9
Well, you didn't like American football anyway?
1
Hats off to Kaepernick. The problem, however, is not so much the protest as it is the blinders of the Right and the mostly conservative owners of NFL teams. Simply put they see nothing wrong with the US of A, and any protests calling into question their long-held and often strident beliefs about the greatness and rightness of America will be resisted. For an example look no farther than the current AG, Jeff Sessions, who sees absolutely nothing wrong with the various police departments in the US contrary to the persuasive evidence of considerable malfeasance . . . it is also what compels mostly white juries to exonerate the white killers of black men in the face of compelling (video) evidence to the contrary. Unfortunately such views have proven impermeable to evidence and facts and no amount of protesting or refusing to stand for the national anthem will change that . . .
26
The hypocrisy of Mr. Kaepernick's critics is breathtaking. How many NFL fans, watching from their couches, ever stand up during the anthem? Precious few. Most never even put their beer down.
Yet they want this man to stand up and make a show of patriotism for them. Why? Mostly they're angry that reality has intruded on their sacred Sunday ritual. This statement by another NY Times commenter is typical of their mindset: "People go to see professional sports as a relief from the stresses of politics ..."
Truly, professional football has become the opium of the masses.
Yet they want this man to stand up and make a show of patriotism for them. Why? Mostly they're angry that reality has intruded on their sacred Sunday ritual. This statement by another NY Times commenter is typical of their mindset: "People go to see professional sports as a relief from the stresses of politics ..."
Truly, professional football has become the opium of the masses.
51
One man quietly took a knee and continues to prompt no end of mouth foaming character assassinations, mostly plainly based in racist psychological projections. Seven men gave millions of dollars to help a loud-mouthed racist and narcissist become president, and it gets at worst some mild head shaking.
For those of you "fans" who think the NFL is and has been politically pure, and somehow deserves to retain that facade of purity, it's time to grow up: this country needs you to take citizenship and community as seriously as you take your team merch. and stats.
For those of you "fans" who think the NFL is and has been politically pure, and somehow deserves to retain that facade of purity, it's time to grow up: this country needs you to take citizenship and community as seriously as you take your team merch. and stats.
79
Mr Kaepernick's show of support for a just cause would be more readly accepted if he did it without disrespecting the very thing that allows him to be disrespectful.
11
I suspect many Roman Catholics, as well as many Anglicans, would be surprised to learn that kneeling on one knee -- also known as genuflecting -- is a gesture of disrespect. For this Anglican, it is a posture of profound respect.
Comments like this show that people like you don't really get what the issue is about, and as long as that continues, I think Kaepernick and his friends should continue to take a kneel
1
So because his message isn't being persuasive, and only reaching people who are already in agreement with him, he needs to just keep doing what he's already doing even though it is not effectively persuading people who "don't really get what the issue is about"?
That's CRAZY. This is my problem with liberal people: they want to talk about things the way they want to talk about them, and blame people who aren't already in their way of thinking for not following their way of thinking. It's like they have no tolerance for people expecting them to get out of their bubble and reach, proselytize, and convert.
God. Liberal policies and social views are so excellent, and they have SUCH BAD MESSENGERS. "You just don't get me and what I'm trying to tell you, so I'm going to say it slower, louder, and even more condescendingly because THAT'S going to work." Riiiiight.
That's CRAZY. This is my problem with liberal people: they want to talk about things the way they want to talk about them, and blame people who aren't already in their way of thinking for not following their way of thinking. It's like they have no tolerance for people expecting them to get out of their bubble and reach, proselytize, and convert.
God. Liberal policies and social views are so excellent, and they have SUCH BAD MESSENGERS. "You just don't get me and what I'm trying to tell you, so I'm going to say it slower, louder, and even more condescendingly because THAT'S going to work." Riiiiight.
With all due respect to Mr. Kaepernick, his martyrdom isn't effective for a few reasons.
The first of these is his lucrative financial position: being an NFL quarterback for a major sports team is the epitome of the financial 1%: leagues ahead of most anyone of any color.
The second of these is his general notoriety. He's veering into Bono territory: someone who's too famous, too wealthy, and too broadly insulated by all that his wealth, celebrity, and status brings to ever credibly claim "oppressed." Would that a poor lesbian mother of color in the inner Baltimore ghetto should have such access to his level of money, fame, esteem, and respect. There's nothing more ridiculous than seeing the untouchable making a grand spectacle of their oppression when they don't have any skin in the game (to turn a sports phrase).
Instead of worshipping someone who is the epitome of the 1% for his bravery to act oppressed, why don't we focus our lenses on the actual every day people who are susceptible to the harm from oppression. Kaepernick is insulated by his vast salary and gets intense media coverage; that lesbian of color in the Baltimore ghetto prays her money lasts the week.
Instead of acting the martyr, his wiser course of action from the get-go would be to stop acting righteously indignant (which feels hollow coming from his position of wealth) and instead seek to persuade. Being a petulant rich person isn't persuasive, whatever his color.
The first of these is his lucrative financial position: being an NFL quarterback for a major sports team is the epitome of the financial 1%: leagues ahead of most anyone of any color.
The second of these is his general notoriety. He's veering into Bono territory: someone who's too famous, too wealthy, and too broadly insulated by all that his wealth, celebrity, and status brings to ever credibly claim "oppressed." Would that a poor lesbian mother of color in the inner Baltimore ghetto should have such access to his level of money, fame, esteem, and respect. There's nothing more ridiculous than seeing the untouchable making a grand spectacle of their oppression when they don't have any skin in the game (to turn a sports phrase).
Instead of worshipping someone who is the epitome of the 1% for his bravery to act oppressed, why don't we focus our lenses on the actual every day people who are susceptible to the harm from oppression. Kaepernick is insulated by his vast salary and gets intense media coverage; that lesbian of color in the Baltimore ghetto prays her money lasts the week.
Instead of acting the martyr, his wiser course of action from the get-go would be to stop acting righteously indignant (which feels hollow coming from his position of wealth) and instead seek to persuade. Being a petulant rich person isn't persuasive, whatever his color.
8
What makes you say that Kaepernick sees himself as oppressed or that he acts the martyr? I've seen nothing in his behavior to indicate he isn't fully aware of his blessings and rather than acting the martyr he puts his money into giving back. Your response is full of ad hominem attacks that seem disconnected from the article we are all presumably responding to.
2
I think the point is pretty clear: people are turned off by wealthy people making grand spectacles of their oppression.
Rabbi Jesus, one of the greatest of liberals, said it best: "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." (Matt 6:5-6)
If you want to know why Mr. Kaepernick's actions have been so polarizing, it's what Rabbi Jesus comments on: people are turned off by overly show-boating displays of public preaching. Rabbi Jesus' warning is against arrogance, and it is intensely arrogant to make a spectacle of yourself standing up for a cause that is way bigger than you. It's hubris to do so when you stand up for a cause that you just don't live through: his financially insulated position and public fame bar him from any credible claim to speak authentically about the oppression he decries.
It's ad hominem in that it questions his qualifications as a messenger for the cause, and explains why his grand statement is met with so much push back. I don't think anyone disputes the broader importance of discussing racial justice; I do think discussing his own questionable position to preach the message is valid, even if it could be construed as ad hominem.
Rabbi Jesus, one of the greatest of liberals, said it best: "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." (Matt 6:5-6)
If you want to know why Mr. Kaepernick's actions have been so polarizing, it's what Rabbi Jesus comments on: people are turned off by overly show-boating displays of public preaching. Rabbi Jesus' warning is against arrogance, and it is intensely arrogant to make a spectacle of yourself standing up for a cause that is way bigger than you. It's hubris to do so when you stand up for a cause that you just don't live through: his financially insulated position and public fame bar him from any credible claim to speak authentically about the oppression he decries.
It's ad hominem in that it questions his qualifications as a messenger for the cause, and explains why his grand statement is met with so much push back. I don't think anyone disputes the broader importance of discussing racial justice; I do think discussing his own questionable position to preach the message is valid, even if it could be construed as ad hominem.
Congratulations to Colin Kaepernick for living his life on his terms, supporting youth groups with his philanthropy, and being true to his own beliefs. I wonder how many more NFL players would kneel if they knew the national anthem was written by a slave owner? Francis Scott Key owned slaves and strongly opposed the Abolitionists. The Star Spangled Banner's melody is from an English drinking song honoring the Greek drinking song poet Anacreon. It's exponentially disturbing that 7 NFL owners actually contributed a million dollars to the presidential campaign of the racist, misogynistic, serial lying, and epitome of policy ignorance, Donald Trump. When football commentators like Boomer Esiason criticize Colin Kaepernick's behavior, they are apparently oblivious to the ignorant irony they display, by referring to the exercise of the First Amendment, as "disrespectful". No one has the right to impose their personal interpretation or meaning of the National Anthem on anyone else, in America we have something called freedom of expression.
27
Confused?
Just because Kaepernick's actions are protected by the Constitution doesn't make them right. Kaepernick was in effect giving the finger to tens of thousands of people. The First Amendment cannot cleanse the taint of that action. Face it, the guy's a creep.
Just because Kaepernick's actions are protected by the Constitution doesn't make them right. Kaepernick was in effect giving the finger to tens of thousands of people. The First Amendment cannot cleanse the taint of that action. Face it, the guy's a creep.
1
We need more people like Colin Kaperneak. To the people putting him down : what are you doing to stop the reprehensible daily injustice against and outright murder of people of color in this country? The only question in my mind is why there aren't more like him doing the same thing. Everyone else is keeping quiet and looking after themselves.
13
While Kap has lately done some noble causes, sometimes his ways to the means are suspect. Between his Castro T shirt, pigs sox, and his " look at me" approach of kissing biceps, Harpo haircut and headphones around neck at pressers, I believe he quietly enjoys the spotlight in a subtle way. Not that it is bad for a star quarterback to do, that's what and who they are, stars. Just believe his noble traits has come a bit too late .
Add his Angela Davis 2.0 girlfriend who likes to stir to pot ,in a aggressive way that would shy away the conservative old owners who see Kap and his baggage maybe a. it too much go answer to the same white ticket holders who owners would need to answer to. All in all Kapernick has been dealt a bad hand, but he also has kept the wrong cards in hand to have the " winning hand".
Add his Angela Davis 2.0 girlfriend who likes to stir to pot ,in a aggressive way that would shy away the conservative old owners who see Kap and his baggage maybe a. it too much go answer to the same white ticket holders who owners would need to answer to. All in all Kapernick has been dealt a bad hand, but he also has kept the wrong cards in hand to have the " winning hand".
7
If you protest and stick your head out be ready that not everybody is happy. Sports is foremost entertainment and if you disturb this thin veneer of communality (making money) you will pay for it. To pay a small price you have to be a really good athlete and Colin just isn't.
4
Let's be the clear; the man is not divisive or controversial ~ just the headlines generated by the press and the people that want him to buckle to their will.
Americans are granted the protections of the 1st Amendment. ( that is also why it was\is the first and probably the most important.
Ask yourself ~ if a white player was doing and saying the same things in relation to the injustices ( perceived or real ) that were being perpetrated by black people, would there be as much '' controversy ''
Seems to me that has been the case since time began.
Americans are granted the protections of the 1st Amendment. ( that is also why it was\is the first and probably the most important.
Ask yourself ~ if a white player was doing and saying the same things in relation to the injustices ( perceived or real ) that were being perpetrated by black people, would there be as much '' controversy ''
Seems to me that has been the case since time began.
14
The First Amendment again! What is it with you people?
The First Amendment protects Kapernick's legal right to express himself in ugly, foolish and insulting way -- and he has used that right to do the wrong thing.
The First Amendment protects Kapernick's legal right to express himself in ugly, foolish and insulting way -- and he has used that right to do the wrong thing.
Agree 100%
1
Many people throughout history have chosen to speak out about injustices they perceive. In so doing you accept the price of voicing publicly, especially if you do this while being paid to do a job. Everyone has freedom of choice as do you but in making that decision you may suffer adversity. That is what happens when you draw attention to you and not your team. I agree with his view, not his action. He could've demonstrated on his time and still have a career.
2
Did Mr. Kaepernick have no idea for whom he was working? Yes, he had every right to do and say what he did, and the owners have every right not to employ him. I'm glad to learn that he earned a degree, it will come in handy in his next career. I wish him well.
5
Not since Cassius Clay. An American athlete with true courage and conviction.
5
An American athlete with true courage and conviction, Pat Tillman.
Ali could win titles.
Please add to your list my personal favorite, Arthur Ashe, who broke the color barrier in the South African Open in 1973.
2
This is a nice distraction for the NFL that is ruining its players' brains.
Why does football have to be rah, rah? When I go see my college team play they run onto the field waving an American flag as if the opposing team is from Russia. As if the team has a higher purpose than raking in millions of dollars for business of university sports.
Why does football have to be rah, rah? When I go see my college team play they run onto the field waving an American flag as if the opposing team is from Russia. As if the team has a higher purpose than raking in millions of dollars for business of university sports.
8
Kaepernick's simple protest generated discussions that will exist for years to come, especially with the rise of the alt-right and black lives matter movements. Broadcasters and sport journalists, even football fans, derided his efforts as a player brushed off his demonstration by justifying his poor stats. Unlike his critics, Kaepernick's actions speak louder than words.
3
I would have assumed that the operative part of being a "sports social activist" was being involved in sports.
1
I'll wager had Kaepernick won the Super Bowl he would still be playing in the NFL. None of this would matter. He sits during the National Anthem and people get their knickers in a twist. Other players get arrested for domestic violence and they get a pass. Go figure.
4
Kaepernick's gesture's during the National Anthem are contrary to the NFL's political history - an NFL that - along with other pro sports teams - were paid in excess of 50 million dollars by the U.S Military in the last decade to display what seemed to be heartfelt and honest consideration for military service and not as it turns out to have been - product placement. That practice has been said to have stopped in the last year.
But this young man's honest and personal gesture which calls attention to the complexity of issues of patriotism in a country that, at best, deserve serious moral questioning in its domestic racial history - gets him essentially blackballed from playing in the NFL. Some teams (and one NYT commenter) might say such a player would disrupt a team - hence he's not worth the trouble, hence he's not really been blackballed (just not hired). Did I misread the article? Was he not voted by his teammates their highest honor - the Len Eshmont award “for inspirational and courageous play.” That's a man I want on my team.
But it won't be an easy time for him - teams only take risks on wife beating, drug using, gun yielding men they believe they can rehabilitate - and frankly I admire teams for taking chances with those men. Of course to take in a man who has a deep rooted feeling about injustice - now that might too big a risk - you can't rehabilitate ethical and moral questioning. It's much easier to ignore it.
But this young man's honest and personal gesture which calls attention to the complexity of issues of patriotism in a country that, at best, deserve serious moral questioning in its domestic racial history - gets him essentially blackballed from playing in the NFL. Some teams (and one NYT commenter) might say such a player would disrupt a team - hence he's not worth the trouble, hence he's not really been blackballed (just not hired). Did I misread the article? Was he not voted by his teammates their highest honor - the Len Eshmont award “for inspirational and courageous play.” That's a man I want on my team.
But it won't be an easy time for him - teams only take risks on wife beating, drug using, gun yielding men they believe they can rehabilitate - and frankly I admire teams for taking chances with those men. Of course to take in a man who has a deep rooted feeling about injustice - now that might too big a risk - you can't rehabilitate ethical and moral questioning. It's much easier to ignore it.
7
He can do as he pleases, however, why is the national anthem a part of a game played in a private league by millionaires on teams owned by billionaires? It's a sporting event not a patriotic event.
11
What a tragedy the story of Colin Kaepernick will go down as. A man criticized for making a political statement, an important one at that, with the world watching. Some said he did not "grow up black", so what place was he in to make such a gesture? Others said it wasn't the time or the place, and many took it as an attack on the US Armed Forces. All heavy criticisms. All widely missing the mark. A black man standing up to racial injustice and systemic discrimination has the freedom to do so as and when he pleases. His actions were not a "nuisance", they were necessary. The decline of his career and marketability are risks he was well aware of when he took the knee, and he did so anyway. Kaepernick said himself, "this is bigger than football", and he is absolutely correct. Systemic racism is a stain on this country, and the idea of ridiculing and punishing people of color who speak up for themselves and others like them is radically out of place. I relate this move of Kaepaernick;s to Beyonce's performace of "Formation" at the 2016 Superbowl for several reasons. Here we have two famous, black individuals using the nation's biggest platform, professional football, to make social commentary. They knew who their audience was. They knew what the critics would say. It didn't matter, it shouldn't matter. Making a difference is more important. Sparking a wider conversation is more important. Kaepernick may have sacrificed his career. Beyonce lost radio airplay. They did it anyway.
4
I'm a white football fan who is thrilled that CK has the guts to speak out about racism. There are few avenues for constructive dissent available for this topic. I admire his courage in the face of the football machine.
Every spineless leader, team owner, fan or casual observer who tries to compel us to remain silent is complicit in keeping people of color one down. CK is extraordinary in his willingness to appear a fool. He is simply calling attention to a national disgrace - man's inhumanity to men of another color.
Keeping him out of football is the owners folly. I hope he continues to fight for what is right.
Every spineless leader, team owner, fan or casual observer who tries to compel us to remain silent is complicit in keeping people of color one down. CK is extraordinary in his willingness to appear a fool. He is simply calling attention to a national disgrace - man's inhumanity to men of another color.
Keeping him out of football is the owners folly. I hope he continues to fight for what is right.
4
Kaepernick clearly is working out major identity issues. Does anybody believe he was really laughing when questioned as a child about whether he belonged with his family? That memory should make us aPersonally I don't see his national anthem protest as the most effective way to make his point, but I'm not him.
1
I wonder if Colin ever met Kareem Abdul-Jabbar? Two athletes who might have something to say to each other. Heroes beyond their games.
3
He didn't raise his arm in defiance, he didn't turn his back on the flag/anthem, he knelt in silent acknowledgement that we are still missing something in our less than perfect union. I scorn the NFL owners who are spineless and without character. They would be lucky to have a player with conviction like Kaepernick on their team. They are too stupid to know it.
3
Kaepernick: "Prominent", "divisive", "activist" . . . and unemployed. Let's keep it that way.
Show your politics other than in your workplace.
And don't disrespect our flag, anywhere, any time. Whatever your politics: The flag symbolizes not a political position. Rather it honors the -- literally -- millions who died in service to our country. And personally: My adopted homeland.
Show your politics other than in your workplace.
And don't disrespect our flag, anywhere, any time. Whatever your politics: The flag symbolizes not a political position. Rather it honors the -- literally -- millions who died in service to our country. And personally: My adopted homeland.
7
The flag represents a country that was born out of protest. There is nothing more patriotic than protesting.
Action and re-action. Perfectly understandable.
Colin should retire go to work for the NAACP.
Colin should retire go to work for the NAACP.
2
He already spends a great deal of time on issues important to the NAACP . Why should he need to quit football to to raise awareness of discrimination ?
Football was one of the last things America had left that we could all agree on.
Black, white, rich, poor, left, right, on fall Sundays we could put of our differences aside and just cheer for our team.
Then Kaepernick protested a major symbol of our country, and suddenly football became just as divided as everything else. I hate that.
I want know how Kaep disrespecting a major symbol of the country is accomplishing anything positive. The movement he portends to represent is already replete with vague ideals, what it needs is concrete objective, of which Kaep offered none. All he did was virtue signal his way to the unemployment line, and put us at each other's throats in the process.
Black, white, rich, poor, left, right, on fall Sundays we could put of our differences aside and just cheer for our team.
Then Kaepernick protested a major symbol of our country, and suddenly football became just as divided as everything else. I hate that.
I want know how Kaep disrespecting a major symbol of the country is accomplishing anything positive. The movement he portends to represent is already replete with vague ideals, what it needs is concrete objective, of which Kaep offered none. All he did was virtue signal his way to the unemployment line, and put us at each other's throats in the process.
2
I believe he will go down as the sports icon of my generation. Winning Super Bowls don't make you live forever; statements of true power, do.
2
He has a right to protest. I have a right to judge him for what he protests and how he goes about it.
4
Perhaps it really boils down to Attention Deficit Disorder. He just never got enough attention growing up.
1
That's not what ADD is
Why should sitting, standing or otherwise expressing a desire to see that the guarantees of the Constitution, Bill of Rights and laws of this nation be equally applied to all citizens be seen as "divisive"? The fact that it is characterized as such is the real problem in America. And, what does the national anthem have to do with sports anyway. And, what about the fact that it is a racist song? To force anyone to accept lesser treatment than all others when the obligations are the same is enslavement. Colin is not a slave and he is standing with millions of others who, like him, refuse to settle any longer for anything other than first class citizenship.
2
Whichever NFL team signs Kaepernick, they will then become my favorite team.
5
anyone who thinks Clinton is cut from the same cloth as Trump as Kap claims during the Presidential elections is not worthy of emulating. DIdn't he say "they are all racist" in reference to the candidates. He seems to be attracting attention to himself and not any particular cause. I realize there is internal bias and a all to military police force in this country in certain regions but he is not the solution.
4
The Kaepernick story is more complex than has been presented here. Starting quarterbacks get a lot of leeway. Michael Vick served his two years for cruelty to animals and was given every chance to succeed. Jameis Winston was accused of rape and his jersey is near the top in sales, And all the misconduct Ben Roethslebeger has engaged in hasn't changed the fact that he is widely admired for his aggressive style of play.
When Kaepernick appeared to be the next big thing in quarterbacks, his unconventional style. posed no problem. But it turned out that Kaepernick's successful style of play proved transient. And he became a back-up. The role of a back is much different than that of a starter. The best back-ups work hard to get whatever minutes they can. They're supportive of the starters and the rest of their team. Those who are a unifying force are highly valued. Controversial back ups like Johnny Manziel, Geno Smith and Tim Tebow do not last long in the league. Kaepernick iis one of the most controversial back ups. He could have gotten away with this as a starter. As a back-up, it's a whole different thing.
When Kaepernick appeared to be the next big thing in quarterbacks, his unconventional style. posed no problem. But it turned out that Kaepernick's successful style of play proved transient. And he became a back-up. The role of a back is much different than that of a starter. The best back-ups work hard to get whatever minutes they can. They're supportive of the starters and the rest of their team. Those who are a unifying force are highly valued. Controversial back ups like Johnny Manziel, Geno Smith and Tim Tebow do not last long in the league. Kaepernick iis one of the most controversial back ups. He could have gotten away with this as a starter. As a back-up, it's a whole different thing.
2
While you're at it naming names of football players, please consider the continued worship of Kobe Bryant, complete with his paid Nike endorsement, as he walked away from a rape charge by settling out of court.
Kaepernick didn't seem to start this "activism" until it was clear that he was a has-been player. The fact that he hasn't been hired is being spun in racist tones, while it is more likely that, as a business, a franchise doesn't want to hire a less than stellar player.
What's the average age of a NFL player?
What's the average age of a NFL player?
6
Considering the damage playing football does to the brain the NFL is doing Kaepernick a favor. He has a great mind and a unique perspective. Best of luck to him.
2
Perhaps the fault lies with an organization (NFL, etal) that suppresses the democratic right of freedom of expression. Why does this individual who sincerely felt the need to call attention to an American issue that was being sidelined, have to support the hypocrisy. His action was courageous for an individual who put everything on the line.
I commend Mr. Kapernick and wish him well.
I commend Mr. Kapernick and wish him well.
2
Speak your truth as best as you can make sense of it,
no matter what the cost.
No matter who hears, or refuses to hear.
Use the opportunities and the voice you are given to shine a light on what is good and decent and real,
and also what is broken, and ugly, and unjust.
Do your best to be as brave, and as humble, and as grateful as you can be.
Those who rise above the status quo, who swim not with the current but to where the truth is, will always face opposition from those who want to quiet it down, look the other way, pass the buck, kick the can.
You get just this one life.
If Colin Kaepernick never throws another pass as a professional player, he will still be a hero. That much more of a hero. A real human being.
I hated when he scrambled for so many yards against my beloved Packers. But I didn't know the man then.
Proud to know him now.
Thanks for the excellent reporting in this sea of knee-jerk misinformation.
People of real and rare conscience deserve nothing less.
no matter what the cost.
No matter who hears, or refuses to hear.
Use the opportunities and the voice you are given to shine a light on what is good and decent and real,
and also what is broken, and ugly, and unjust.
Do your best to be as brave, and as humble, and as grateful as you can be.
Those who rise above the status quo, who swim not with the current but to where the truth is, will always face opposition from those who want to quiet it down, look the other way, pass the buck, kick the can.
You get just this one life.
If Colin Kaepernick never throws another pass as a professional player, he will still be a hero. That much more of a hero. A real human being.
I hated when he scrambled for so many yards against my beloved Packers. But I didn't know the man then.
Proud to know him now.
Thanks for the excellent reporting in this sea of knee-jerk misinformation.
People of real and rare conscience deserve nothing less.
3
I support Colin and he should have a team. There must be collusion or perhaps even an unconscious conspiracy to keep him off a team right now among the team owners. the must fear what his possible continued statements both said and unsaid might mean to their bottom line. They're wrong.
The form of Colin's protest is one of the most American displays of what this country is about and what we should be paying attention to I have ever seen. I think the last several months in this country have demonstrated that all too well.
I support Colin. Period.
The form of Colin's protest is one of the most American displays of what this country is about and what we should be paying attention to I have ever seen. I think the last several months in this country have demonstrated that all too well.
I support Colin. Period.
3
I consider myself a good American, but I also consider Kaepernick a good American. I would not have the guts to do what Kaepernick has done.He has paid a big price for standing up for what he believes will make American better. Too many people think waving the flag or having two flags outside your car is what makes you a good citizen. No way. Fighting for what you believe is really the heart of what makes a good American.
179
And many others have paid a price with their lives so he can take a knee and not show respect to symbol of our freedoms.
I am not a fan of professional football but am a huge fan of Colin Kaepernick. He's a real American sports hero.
24
We agree that Kaepernick's freedom of speech is undisputed, however expressing his views on company time is in poor taste.
Professionally we represent our company and all interactions on the clock should be focused on business only.
There are numerous forums available to convey his protests.
Please, I tune in to the games to relax and be entertained on my downtime, not to hear about an unhappy athlete.
Professionally we represent our company and all interactions on the clock should be focused on business only.
There are numerous forums available to convey his protests.
Please, I tune in to the games to relax and be entertained on my downtime, not to hear about an unhappy athlete.
6
Does your company make you pledge allegiance to the flag before you start work? Probably not.
2
No they don't, but millions of viewers are not tuned in when I start my day.
I think I may have it. The solution to the problem with the national anthem for Colin Kaepernick. So, if you have his attention, point him this way.
The key, and thank you Francis Scott for it, is a question mark that’s been hiding in plain sight for 214 years.
Think of the last line of the anthem (as we sing it before ball games, anyway.) It is written, “O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave o’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?”
It’s literally a question.
A question Mr. Key asks us across time. Does that beauty of a flag still wave over the land of the free and the home of the brave? People of America-future, are you yet free? Are you still brave?
Kaepernick, for his part, isn’t compelled to assume that the answer is known. He can wonder. He can doubt. The question mark allows him.
He could do that while standing. Better yet, while singing.
So, sing out that question, Colin! Do it pleadingly. Achingly. Give it your all with wonder and doubt down to the bottom of your heart.
And then play ball.
The key, and thank you Francis Scott for it, is a question mark that’s been hiding in plain sight for 214 years.
Think of the last line of the anthem (as we sing it before ball games, anyway.) It is written, “O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave o’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?”
It’s literally a question.
A question Mr. Key asks us across time. Does that beauty of a flag still wave over the land of the free and the home of the brave? People of America-future, are you yet free? Are you still brave?
Kaepernick, for his part, isn’t compelled to assume that the answer is known. He can wonder. He can doubt. The question mark allows him.
He could do that while standing. Better yet, while singing.
So, sing out that question, Colin! Do it pleadingly. Achingly. Give it your all with wonder and doubt down to the bottom of your heart.
And then play ball.
5
It may not have been the best thing for his football career, and it may make people uncomfortable because the issue he brings up is real but few want to acknowledge it, but I say "well done Colin". He stood up for an injustice and had a lot to lose by doing so that makes the gesture that much more noble. It's only the glib patriots out there who were offended.
8
What I love most about what he did is cause a moral chemical "bubbling" of thought and conversation to occur. This helped to effect change in an area that is far bigger and more purposeful than an NFL game. It helped to expose more of that hidden thinking that most people sweep under the rug. Sure his personal career is at stake, but he knows that. Probably the only thing he's worried about is how he can now keep enough money coming to make a bigger impact on his organizations. So given his higher purpose of racial equality, equal value and treatment of people of color in this country ... I'd say he did pretty well. Go Kaepernick!
1
Thank you for this article. I didn't know much about Kaepernick before, and now I can say he is a good guy.
I read some comments to this article that say he was wrong for espousing political views in the job. I do not read anything that says he did that. All he did was refrain from standing for the national anthem. The NFL does not require players to stand. He did not make a big deal of it. It was reporters who saw it and made a story of it.
I read some comments to this article that say he was wrong for espousing political views in the job. I do not read anything that says he did that. All he did was refrain from standing for the national anthem. The NFL does not require players to stand. He did not make a big deal of it. It was reporters who saw it and made a story of it.
5
During WWII at a time when most of us had no idea how well we were doing in the war, when blue star and gold star pendants were in windows throughout the neighborhood, we kids went to patriotic assemblies every week at school. We sang patriotic songs and listened to upbeat speakers who were there to convince us that we would certainly win this war. The assemblies would end with our purchasing 10¢ or 25¢ stamps for our war bond booklets. Patriotism became imbedded in all of us. A good many of us became veterans of future wars in our own right.
Move the clock ahead a few years where many of us there in California became diehard San Francisco 49er fans. Now imagine our shock and disgust as we watched as our hero quarterback refused to stand for our national anthem.
I'm sure many young folks will see Colin Kaepernick as an unfairly mistreated hero after reading this article. There's nothing I can do about that. But for those of us (at least most of us) still remaining who lived through WWII, Korea, Viet Nam, and Afghanistan, there's no way we'll ever see anything honorable about this guy, regardless of his current efforts at attempting to retrieve that honor.
Move the clock ahead a few years where many of us there in California became diehard San Francisco 49er fans. Now imagine our shock and disgust as we watched as our hero quarterback refused to stand for our national anthem.
I'm sure many young folks will see Colin Kaepernick as an unfairly mistreated hero after reading this article. There's nothing I can do about that. But for those of us (at least most of us) still remaining who lived through WWII, Korea, Viet Nam, and Afghanistan, there's no way we'll ever see anything honorable about this guy, regardless of his current efforts at attempting to retrieve that honor.
43
And how were African American veterans treated after WW ll, and other wars.
1
Your No True Scotsman line is shallow, and does not speak for all of us who have served. The 49ers were my home town team as well, and I couldn't have been more favorably impressed in his stand on ethics and justice, in full knowledge of the consequences. I saw an example in courage to live a principle at cost, and that is the highest calling of the service.
Reflexively rallying to a flag and demonizing any critique was among the worst of what came with service. Speak to you own disgust, but don't lump all veterans in with your scorn.
Reflexively rallying to a flag and demonizing any critique was among the worst of what came with service. Speak to you own disgust, but don't lump all veterans in with your scorn.
3
I have felt that many vets have conflated symbols of America with the country itself. You fought for our country, and thank you for your service, not the flag or the anthem. Kaepernick is a patriot too, with his own brand of courage. Contrary to what many believe, protesting, particularly individual protest, is very frightening and requires strong beliefs and the willingness to stand behind them. Kaepernick knew when he took a knee that many veterans would hate him, and many Americans would see his action as dishonorable. Still, he persisted. I admire him for it.
3
It is nice to know that Mr Kapernick will have a fulfilling life even if he never plays another down. As for those who have commented that he should not be able to make a political statement at his workplace, that might be an arguable point, but the greedy one percenter trumpists of the NFL have not made that particular argument. Might affect the bottom line.
It is telling that polls show that NFL fans are more concerned about national anthem protests than they are about brain injuries,and that Jerry Jones, who questions the science behind the studies was just elected to the hall of fame.
Don't watch.
It is telling that polls show that NFL fans are more concerned about national anthem protests than they are about brain injuries,and that Jerry Jones, who questions the science behind the studies was just elected to the hall of fame.
Don't watch.
6
For all the respondents that claim that they would similarly run afoul of their employers for overtly expressing their political or religious views - I suspect your employer does not make you stand for the national anthem when you show up at the office. Sports leagues and owners have co-opted the national anthem for their purposes (benign or noble as those may be). It strikes me as one-sided to claim that while ownership gets to claim the anthem for their own public symbolic reasons, their employees are cannot do the same.
10
What this article does is provide great context for Mr Kaepernick's actions. It doesn't matter whether I approve of or agree with Colin's methods and content of protest--that is irrelevant.
Who cares if he is hero or villain? Who cares if he plays another down in the NFL? What is important is this young man is on his own journey to realize his own self, shine a light on the powerless and voiceless, and in the process lift up others less fortunate.
Going against the grain, backing up his convictions by writing checks, and not spouting endlessly in an age of media saturation are rare and admirable qualities. Regardless of public opinion, he has become a nonviolent agent of change and they don't make pads big enough for those type of shoulders.
Who cares if he is hero or villain? Who cares if he plays another down in the NFL? What is important is this young man is on his own journey to realize his own self, shine a light on the powerless and voiceless, and in the process lift up others less fortunate.
Going against the grain, backing up his convictions by writing checks, and not spouting endlessly in an age of media saturation are rare and admirable qualities. Regardless of public opinion, he has become a nonviolent agent of change and they don't make pads big enough for those type of shoulders.
277
Frankly, this country has moved away from its tradition of protest and individual rights to crowd mentality and identity politics. This country is born out of protest and self-determination. As far as I see, Kaepernick is trying to remind us of of some lost American traditions, and I support his constitutional right.
Disclaimer: I am not really a sports fan nor can I remember the last time I watched a professional football game.
Disclaimer: I am not really a sports fan nor can I remember the last time I watched a professional football game.
6
The only thing this guy has done of note in a football uniform is kneel down for The National Anthem. He has had more than his fifteen minutes so let's move on already. He could have played it different and spread his message farther to reach more like minded people but now he is done as is his platform.
4
so leading a team to a super bowl is not considered to be "of note"?
I feel sorry for Kaepernick. He thought he took the easy way to get his point across. Far easier to simply sit during the anthem while your teammates and everyone else is standing than using the common procedures to address the nation. He could've called a press conference, issued a press release or organized other NFL players into a coalition that would have strong voice. But, what he did, did provid him with a national soap box. He then told his followers not to vote in the 2016 election. In fact, he prides himself in never registering to vote. That means he didn't vote for Obama in either election. I wonder if his call to abstain made a difference in who was elected? I guess he didn't think HRC would be on his side. In fact, can't you visualize her telling policemen to mistreat prisoners.
But it's far easier to stay seated rather than registering to vote.
But it's far easier to stay seated rather than registering to vote.
4
I love Colin Kaepernick. I'm grateful for his influence on our nation and on the world.
4
Colin Kaepernick
3 words: Model human being.
Thank you, Colin, for your decency and courage.
3 words: Model human being.
Thank you, Colin, for your decency and courage.
10
I gave up on the NFL years ago since commercials make the game unwatchable. That the 49ers are so bad makes the decision an easy one. And, of course, the Warriors satisfy every Bay area sports fans dreams so no problem.
Colin is a much more complex person than I realized. Thanks to the author for this fine article. I'm not black, but I am a student of history, so I can appreciate how he's come to what he believes. In truth, I've read many of the books included in the list given to Colin. Slavery is surely this country's greatest sin and we are far from prepared to atone for either slavery or what came after it. I've seen photos of lynchings with white folks holding their picnics beneath the hanging black body. Often the lynching took place near the courthouse where Civil War statues now stand. Frankly, it is difficult for me to believe any American can be ignorant of what has transpired over the decades. "Separate but equal" education was always a charade that lived alongside separate drinking fountains, taking food at the back door of the restaurant and sitting at the rear of the bus. It really is time to let go of the Rebel flags and the statues of Robert E. Lee. Colin may have a much more important role to play during his life than simply throwing a football. I respect him for his advocacy and wish him well as he goes forward in life.
Colin is a much more complex person than I realized. Thanks to the author for this fine article. I'm not black, but I am a student of history, so I can appreciate how he's come to what he believes. In truth, I've read many of the books included in the list given to Colin. Slavery is surely this country's greatest sin and we are far from prepared to atone for either slavery or what came after it. I've seen photos of lynchings with white folks holding their picnics beneath the hanging black body. Often the lynching took place near the courthouse where Civil War statues now stand. Frankly, it is difficult for me to believe any American can be ignorant of what has transpired over the decades. "Separate but equal" education was always a charade that lived alongside separate drinking fountains, taking food at the back door of the restaurant and sitting at the rear of the bus. It really is time to let go of the Rebel flags and the statues of Robert E. Lee. Colin may have a much more important role to play during his life than simply throwing a football. I respect him for his advocacy and wish him well as he goes forward in life.
11
I applaud this country for encouraging Kaepernick and others to voice whatever they want to and in a manner that is consistent with our Constitution. Kaepernick has surely done that.
I also applaud the owners of the NFL teams to exercise their rights, for whatever reasons they have, not to hire Kaepernick. If anyone believe that their favorite NFL team failed to hire Kaepernick because of his race, then that fan can exercise his right not to support that team.
All of this is what makes America great. Except, of course, any racial reason for making any decision. The sooner that reasoning becomes eliminated the soon America will demonstrate its true promise.
I also applaud the owners of the NFL teams to exercise their rights, for whatever reasons they have, not to hire Kaepernick. If anyone believe that their favorite NFL team failed to hire Kaepernick because of his race, then that fan can exercise his right not to support that team.
All of this is what makes America great. Except, of course, any racial reason for making any decision. The sooner that reasoning becomes eliminated the soon America will demonstrate its true promise.
17
Boycott the NFL and the games. If they think they can stop this I think the owners have a lot to learn.
4
There's at least one other very good reason to boycott the NFL: it's bad for brains.
1
Great article! Having grown up in the 1960s, with Muhammad Ali as my hero, Colin's detractors remind me of the people who kept calling Ali Cassius Clay long after he changed his name to Ali, and who supported the forces that caused him to sit out some of the best years of his boxing career. We will never know how great a football player Colin could be for the same reason we will never know how great a boxer Ali could have been. Both put principle ahead of the sports they excelled at. What we do know is that Colin, like Ali, is a person of great character and integrity. They both represent what is best in us and both are leading us to a fairer and more just future. History is on their side.
163
Maybe a little distinction here: Ali wasn't a player on an NFL Team!
In sports, there is the "talent-distraction model": if a player's talent outweighs the amount of distraction that they bring to the team, the player is kept by the team. However, if the player brings more distraction than skill to their club, they are cut. Examples of this include the Minnesota Vikings keeping Adrian Peterson during his child abuse scandal and Tim Tebow being cut by the Broncos/Jets/Patriots when he could be a serviceable backup.
There is no doubt that Kaepernick is better than some QBs currently employed in the NFL, however, in an issue as newsworthy and divisive as kneeling during the national anthem, it is easy to see why he remains unemployed.
There is no doubt that Kaepernick is better than some QBs currently employed in the NFL, however, in an issue as newsworthy and divisive as kneeling during the national anthem, it is easy to see why he remains unemployed.
4
For decades, the press has demanded that black quarterbacks be over-represented in the NFL, even ones as ineffective as Kaepernick, who has a 3-16 record as a starter over the last two seasons.
In contrast, Bill Belichick of the Patriots quietly searches out white receivers underrated due to racial bias and wins Super Bowls.
Funny how that works.
In contrast, Bill Belichick of the Patriots quietly searches out white receivers underrated due to racial bias and wins Super Bowls.
Funny how that works.
3
CK has the right to kneel.
There are many things that are wrong and should be addressed..
I don't think kneeling is an effective way of bringing about those changes.
Support of moderates will be needed to bring about these changes.
Moderates will be turned off by kneeling.
Many football fans [who are probably conservative]will also be turned off.
I think CK should find a more effective means of bringing about the changes he wants.
There are many things that are wrong and should be addressed..
I don't think kneeling is an effective way of bringing about those changes.
Support of moderates will be needed to bring about these changes.
Moderates will be turned off by kneeling.
Many football fans [who are probably conservative]will also be turned off.
I think CK should find a more effective means of bringing about the changes he wants.
4
While Kaepernick did a laudable thing, it may not have been the wisest in terms of his ability to play the sport and spread his message. While his heart is in the right place, he is, as a football player an entertainer and there was probably a clause in his contract that gave his employers the right to fire him if he became a liability, or a distraction in terms of speech or behavior.
Not standing for the national anthem, while attention getting, was bound to be so controversial and deeply disturbing for some fans, that the 49ers didn't have much of a choice but to fire him. If Kaeprnik had chosen some other way to speak out, he have reached a wider audience and still had his job.
Not standing for the national anthem, while attention getting, was bound to be so controversial and deeply disturbing for some fans, that the 49ers didn't have much of a choice but to fire him. If Kaeprnik had chosen some other way to speak out, he have reached a wider audience and still had his job.
14
Ah. I see. So using his platform to highlight the continued extreme injustice and murders of black people solely because of their race was ill-considered, in your view. I would be quite curious to see your ideas on better ways to protest effectively so as to reach a wider audience.
It may be of some surprise to you to know that money is not a substitute for being able to look yourself in the mirror while your people are subjugated and killed if you take no action.
It may be of some surprise to you to know that money is not a substitute for being able to look yourself in the mirror while your people are subjugated and killed if you take no action.
2
Kaepernick wasn't fired, he opted out of the last year of his contract and hasn't been picked up by another team.
1
Unless Kaepernick was contractually obligated to observe the national anthem, he is within his rights to express some individuality and show his concern about today's pressing issues.
NFL is hardly in a position to complain, as they have been handsomely compensated by the taxpayer for staging patriotic rituals.
https://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/05/13/at-n-f-l-games-patriotis...
NFL is hardly in a position to complain, as they have been handsomely compensated by the taxpayer for staging patriotic rituals.
https://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/05/13/at-n-f-l-games-patriotis...
39
No, you are wrong. Fundamentally Kaepernick is an employee. Employers are not required to itemize a list of objectionable behaviors. Employers are required to warn about objectionable behavior, but if the objectionable behavior continues the employer is within management right to fire the employee. First Amendment right do not extend into the workplace.
4
The standard NFL contract, as approved by the players union, provides that "the player agrees to conduct himself on and off the field with appropriate recognition of the fact that the success of professional football depends largely on public respect for and approval of those associated with the game. ,,, if Player has engaged in personal conduct reasonably judged by Club to adversely affect or reflect on Club,
then Club may terminate this contract.
then Club may terminate this contract.
3
I can't go around my workplace espousing my political views so i don't see why that is any different for Colin despite his good intentions. Same goes for the Google engineer who was fired for sending around a memo regarding his views on gender differences. You can say mostly whatever you want legally but there are consequences for your actions. If Colin had common sense he would have predicted this is what would have happened and he should accept that getting another job would be the consequence.
41
That is a legitimate point, provided that his employer (NFL owner) told him not to do it. Did that occur?
On the other hand, it is also a free speech issue. Does his contract require him to to stand and cross his heart during the anthem? Some may even argue it is a submissive, infantile thing to do.
On the other hand, it is also a free speech issue. Does his contract require him to to stand and cross his heart during the anthem? Some may even argue it is a submissive, infantile thing to do.
1
NFL policy is that players are encouraged but not required to stand for the national anthem. So I say kneel away if he felt that was right. Are there consequences for his actions? Sure. Whether or not one agrees with Collin's views and his possible motivations and methods of expressing them, we would do well to remember that many in this country have historically suffered severe and often unjust consequences for having the audacity to speak the truth.
2
Diana,
I live in a liberal democracy. We have laws regarding hate speech but we are a real democracy and Colin Kaepernick would be widely applauded for expressing his very REAL concerns about justice in his society. We have problems in Canada especially with regards to past and present treatment of our aboriginal community but I have lost track of the number of truth and reconciliation commissions taking place.
Mr Kaepernick is not calling for revolution he is calling for truth. Socrates was forced to drink hemlock and Jesus was hung on a cross surely we have moved beyond the knee jerk obedience to our very human leaders.
I think I take my greatest pride in being a Canadian in the fact that a Gorsuch, Alito, Scalia or Thomas will never be allowed to besmirch the reputation of our Supreme Court.
I live in a liberal democracy. We have laws regarding hate speech but we are a real democracy and Colin Kaepernick would be widely applauded for expressing his very REAL concerns about justice in his society. We have problems in Canada especially with regards to past and present treatment of our aboriginal community but I have lost track of the number of truth and reconciliation commissions taking place.
Mr Kaepernick is not calling for revolution he is calling for truth. Socrates was forced to drink hemlock and Jesus was hung on a cross surely we have moved beyond the knee jerk obedience to our very human leaders.
I think I take my greatest pride in being a Canadian in the fact that a Gorsuch, Alito, Scalia or Thomas will never be allowed to besmirch the reputation of our Supreme Court.
1
Protest may be the quintessential defining American Act. Think back to the Boston Tea party and how the king of England surely saw it as an affront to his rule.
33
LD,
The Boston Tea Party was not directed against the King , in fact it supported the King. The tea dumped into Boston Harbour belonged to the East India Company and the ship carrying the tea flew the flag of the East India Company.
The tea was untaxed and represented the fact that the East India Company had a liquidity problem and was able to get a high tax levied on everybody else's tea.
The Boston Tea Party was more the ability of the big corporations to initiate something like the bank and auto bailouts than protest the King's government.
Real history shows George III to be a rather benign and well liked monarch despite the prophyria. The Boston Tea Party had overwhelming support from Montreal's tea merchants despite the unquestioned loyalty to the Crown here in Canada.
If the Boston Tea Party is the quintessential defining act of American political philosophy than the 20th century Tea Party is quintessentially anti-American. The Boston Tea Party was a protest against a large independent corporate entity destroying its competition because it could. In 1773 the East India Company was much more powerful than even the British government and controlled over half the globe.
The Boston Tea Party was not directed against the King , in fact it supported the King. The tea dumped into Boston Harbour belonged to the East India Company and the ship carrying the tea flew the flag of the East India Company.
The tea was untaxed and represented the fact that the East India Company had a liquidity problem and was able to get a high tax levied on everybody else's tea.
The Boston Tea Party was more the ability of the big corporations to initiate something like the bank and auto bailouts than protest the King's government.
Real history shows George III to be a rather benign and well liked monarch despite the prophyria. The Boston Tea Party had overwhelming support from Montreal's tea merchants despite the unquestioned loyalty to the Crown here in Canada.
If the Boston Tea Party is the quintessential defining act of American political philosophy than the 20th century Tea Party is quintessentially anti-American. The Boston Tea Party was a protest against a large independent corporate entity destroying its competition because it could. In 1773 the East India Company was much more powerful than even the British government and controlled over half the globe.
2
He is free to protest while on his own time. the question here is a political demonstration he staged at his place of work.
2
Colin clearly has identity issues. He is the progeny of a mixed race couple as well as being adopted by white parents.
His personal identity issues is what is fueling his activism. However, all this racial nonsense is not reflective of the country at large - for crying out loud we elected a black president. His activism is self serving and everyone who isn't a SJW knows it.
His personal identity issues is what is fueling his activism. However, all this racial nonsense is not reflective of the country at large - for crying out loud we elected a black president. His activism is self serving and everyone who isn't a SJW knows it.
45
This argument is a hollow appeal to motive, and little more.
The idea that the election of a black president somehow proves all American racism to be obsolete has grown pretty weak and tired, especially now that we've also collectively elected a president who has the ongoing and gleeful approval of David Duke (and his ilk).
The idea that the election of a black president somehow proves all American racism to be obsolete has grown pretty weak and tired, especially now that we've also collectively elected a president who has the ongoing and gleeful approval of David Duke (and his ilk).
4
Some of us elected a black president, and others protested him in the most vile, and personal ways possible for the duration of his eight years in office. The Republicans got away with announcing publicly that they would block anything he tried to do on behalf of the American people, and our current president only recently admitted that Obama's birth certificate was legitimate, thus also admitting that he propagated a lie about Obama's citizenship for eight years. All this "racial nonesense" resulted in the unfit president we now have. When black people write books and letters to the editor, who pays attention. It is not until they somehow offend society that anyone pays attention. Then those people say, "they should champion their cause another way. But no marching, no signs, no fires, no swearing, no boycotting, no strikes, no sit-ins no sit-downs, no protests.... just find another way."
1
There is probably nothing I can say to change your mind, but I'm still going to point out that the fact that we elected a black president does not mean that racism is dead and there are no more race related issues. The reason for the drastic wealth gap between blacks and whites is not just a product of slavery that people are refusing to get over. Look up redlining. Google "reason for black white wealth gap USA" and read a few long form articles. And self-serving? Shutting up and not protesting would be self serving - he would still have a job paying him millions of dollars. Like I said though, this will likely not change your mind. I would fit under your definition of SJW, as would Colin. Calling people SJWs and discounting their opinions is a twisted right wing form of identity politics... the same kind of identity politics you are complaining about.
Most pro sports fans a just morons.
Guess that's why I don't follow or watch pro sports.
Good for Colin.
He should be able to stand up against racism...and not be trashed for being "divisive."
Guess that's why I don't follow or watch pro sports.
Good for Colin.
He should be able to stand up against racism...and not be trashed for being "divisive."
40
Exactly,
Considering how Kaepernick's style of protest has spread throughout the league, it's odd that he remains a target.
but......
he has been silent.
and
he allowed his girlfriend to tweet his way out of a spot with the Ravens.
Ray Lewis is saying more than CK.
So he will coach a high school team somewhere......
but......
he has been silent.
and
he allowed his girlfriend to tweet his way out of a spot with the Ravens.
Ray Lewis is saying more than CK.
So he will coach a high school team somewhere......
5
I'm a white child of the '60s, college graduate, Viet Nam vet whose sports "heroes" include Muhammad Ali, Tommy Smith, Bill Russell, et al. I now include Colin Kaepernick in that pantheon for the same reasons...
225
I too admire those famous sports figures. But I still find Vietnam vets to have the more meaningful perspectives on what this country is capable of.
1
This comment should be highlighted.
Great comment; well said!
There's some people that have a hard time unknowing things. This man seems very aware of his blessings. But he's been made aware of injustices and seems he couldn't resolve continuing as though everything was just fine while, evidently, it is not. He's made a sacrifice. This is how he resolved it. And it seems to be working.
80
The flag was long ago co-opted as a symbol of militarism and the exercise of power in the name of nationalism. So too the national anthem although, of course, its militaristic themes have always been here.
When patriotism becomes a matter of good citizenship, of giving of yourself to peaceful community-centered causes, then you will see me stand for the national anthem and salute the flag. Until then, look for me alongside Kaepernick.
Carl, Portland
When patriotism becomes a matter of good citizenship, of giving of yourself to peaceful community-centered causes, then you will see me stand for the national anthem and salute the flag. Until then, look for me alongside Kaepernick.
Carl, Portland
60
"...national anthem although, of course, its militaristic themes have always been here..."
This nation was created in war (the Revolutionary), tested in war (of 1812), and remade in war (the Civil). The only thing surprising is that you find 'militaristic themes' in the national anthem surprising.
This nation was created in war (the Revolutionary), tested in war (of 1812), and remade in war (the Civil). The only thing surprising is that you find 'militaristic themes' in the national anthem surprising.
3
operadog said: "When patriotism becomes a matter of good citizenship, of giving of yourself to peaceful community-centered causes, then you will see me stand for the national anthem and salute the flag. "
- - -
Millions of U.S. citizens do what you describe on a regular basis, often on their own time in addition to work. If you do not see good citizenship in our country, you're either looking in the wrong place or not looking at all.
- - -
Millions of U.S. citizens do what you describe on a regular basis, often on their own time in addition to work. If you do not see good citizenship in our country, you're either looking in the wrong place or not looking at all.
2
Kaepernick is indeed brave. He exercised his freedom of expression.
Furthermore, he also realized freedom of expression does not mean freedom from consequence. He can kneel down during the Anthem, but a lot of viewers find that highly disrespectful, given these are multi-million dollar payday athletes.
By all means, he should be picked up by a team, but has proven to be too much of a liability. A majority of NFL players go broke within 5 years. I suspect the same will happen here.
Furthermore, he also realized freedom of expression does not mean freedom from consequence. He can kneel down during the Anthem, but a lot of viewers find that highly disrespectful, given these are multi-million dollar payday athletes.
By all means, he should be picked up by a team, but has proven to be too much of a liability. A majority of NFL players go broke within 5 years. I suspect the same will happen here.
6
I find this entire mess hard to understand Why does Mr. Kaepernick believe he is entitled to use his job to promote his political viewpoint? That is the crux of most criticism of his act. If my doctor, bank teller, auto mechanic, etc used their job as an opportunity to express any political opinion I would just as offended as I am by Mr. Keapernick. Newspaper columnists are among the few American who are can say they are employed to provide a political opinion. But not the rest of of us!
32
Sure we can. And, we can take the consequences just like Mr. Kaepernick, though most of us wouldn't be willing to lose millions by doing so.
2
Hi Donna,
I have a counter to your argument. Have you ever worked at an employer that forced all employees to a conference room or large field to stand for the pledge of allegiance? Also, these players are not your typical employees Agree with my statement or not, but many within the black community, no matter how high they go in society ever truly feel accepted as an equal and treated fairly in society. Blacks fought for this country and helped build it as well, so his silent protest has nothing to do with not supporting our troops. I promise the NFL and anyone supporting its position will be on the wrong side of history. The hypocrisy in criticizing him for not standing in a nation that prizes freedom of thought and speech.
I have a counter to your argument. Have you ever worked at an employer that forced all employees to a conference room or large field to stand for the pledge of allegiance? Also, these players are not your typical employees Agree with my statement or not, but many within the black community, no matter how high they go in society ever truly feel accepted as an equal and treated fairly in society. Blacks fought for this country and helped build it as well, so his silent protest has nothing to do with not supporting our troops. I promise the NFL and anyone supporting its position will be on the wrong side of history. The hypocrisy in criticizing him for not standing in a nation that prizes freedom of thought and speech.
1
None of the jobs you listed open with the national anthem. If they did, you might be surprised.
1
Colin Kaepernick seems way to smart for the NFL. His mind deserves better than CTE.
140
Exactly - GRAD School is a way better use of time and money
2
Kaepernick's allegiance to God and country is wholly evident in his taking a knee during the national anthem. For this act of civil disobedience and calling out hypocrisy, he's come under attack. Given the attention and national conversation incurred its clear he's doing something right. And right on!
56
Colin may be a capable enough backup QB to earn an NFL job. But is he a capable enough spokesman for the causes he chooses to martyr? Given his clumsy handling of the Che Guevara situation, it seems he is not fully prepared for nuanced conversations about real oppression. NFL teams would be more open to hiring Colin if he seemed able to cogently and articulately explain his stances while playing the role of both backup QB and team mate. He seems clumsy with his words, which is a landmine in this topic and which creates potential adversity for teams. As such they have every right to pass.
7
Most of us are not eloquent enough to be a spokesman. Does that mean we should not speak out? I think not.
1
It's hard for NFL to make moral arguments considering the number players involved in domestic abuse cases they've allowed on teams, but I digress.
The one issue that ruins it for me regarding Kaepernick was his refusal to vote in the 2016 election. If you don't vote, don't complain.....
56
I felt exactly the same way as you. That is until a read this article. He's definitely walking the walk.
2
Not only did he not vote; when the public attention he had earned by taking a stand turned to him for comment, he asserted there was little difference between the two candidates. here is the crux of the problem with our focus on symbolic action while neglecting substance, even while his actions since the controversy are praiseworthy. how many people who had been inspired by his protests would have been motivated had he said "Hillary Clinton is a flawed vessel and we should hold her to a high standard; but Donald Trump is the embodiment of divisiveness and hatred, please go vote"
1
I agree. I am puzzled what "rights" he teaches in his camps, since he did not avail himself of the right to vote. His total rejection of Hillary because in the 90's she used the term "super predator" once also seems childish. He helped elect Trump. Hard to care that nobody will sign him to play football.
2
Kaepernick is a a hero in my book. He has increased awareness of the racism in America, especially in the Police Departments. I think his name will go down in history as one of the valiant fighters for equality. Here in Boston we have our Patriots whose leadership kisses the butt of a President we all despise. A Leadership that uses Black Athletes yet cozies up to someone who supports the Alt Right and Neo-Nazis. Kaepernick has brought all of this to the surface.
188
Having Kaepernick on your team would no doubt be a headache, and standing up for what is right, especially when it's difficult, takes courage. NFL owners have made millions off a spectacle that amounts to little more than the deterioration of human beings in slow motion. I would not look to them for courage, or to do the right thing. They would rather defend a racist mascot.
94
@David - Kaepernick has also "made millions off of a spectacle".
The NFL and its all-white owners are boycotting Colin for one reason: he stands for something that they can't abide: EQUALITY.
158
just please don't say he "took a knee."
1
This man only became an activist after getting benched in the NFL and getting involved with his racist girlfriend. Please stop ellivating him to hero status. He did this to draw attention to himself on the bench, nothing more.
40
Why are you calling his girlfriend racist? Do you think there is no systemic racism against blacks? Have you read the statistics about black men in jail, the disparities in drug sentences, the history of redlining neighborhoods, the denial of black men for the GI bill, the accounts of police violence? Do you honestly think the playing field is even?
I commend the young people of today that have found the vocabulary to identify and try to change these things. I am a 55 year old white female and I don't understand how anybody cannot be in agreement with them and accord them their right to protest and challenge the system.
The power structure is insidious and the oppression is covert, not overt. If you refuse to recognize this, it is because you profit from this system whether you choose to recognize it our not.
Remember no oppressed people ever got rights without demanding them.
I commend the young people of today that have found the vocabulary to identify and try to change these things. I am a 55 year old white female and I don't understand how anybody cannot be in agreement with them and accord them their right to protest and challenge the system.
The power structure is insidious and the oppression is covert, not overt. If you refuse to recognize this, it is because you profit from this system whether you choose to recognize it our not.
Remember no oppressed people ever got rights without demanding them.
4
Wow, I expected more from a comment in the NYT comment section. Your simplistic view of the situation is the reason he was kneeling in the first place. It's easy to dismiss the horrors that happen to minorities in this society especially when it is being perpetrated by individuals employed by public institution that we all pay taxes for that are supposed to be protecting all of us (not just white Americans). To make matters worse, they are not being held accountable for these crimes.
4
Colin Kaepernick is one of the bravest people I can think of in a sport I hate. I've always believed that football was a plantation sport, and the NFL owners has yet again proven that is a correct assumption. He dared to make a statement about the mistreatment of black men at the hands of police who will never, ever be held accountable. It's very easy for white people to dismiss what has/is happening to black people in this country since it's very inception. These NFL owners love to exploit black athletes and are aided and abetted by the college plantation system. The mere fact that he has dared to kneel in protest and is paying the price for it proves that from when they start to compete, which can be as early as elementary school, black players are not looked upon as people, but property. Many will say that he was well compensated overlook the many thousands who have participated in the sport were not, and suffer to this day from the damage inflicted upon them on the football field. I find great comfort in the fact that the sport of football may end in the coming decades due to the fact that parents are now not allowing their children to play a sport that more than likely will damage their bodies and brains. I thank Colin Kaepernick for the noble sacrifice he has made.
255
@Bill - I think that "noble sacrifice" is a bit overboard. No one made Kaepernick become a football player, he chose it and likely had all his tuition paid in college. Football has made him a multi-millionaire. "College plantation system" you say? What about the non-minority college players coming through the ranks in the same exact way -- are they also exploited? All players sign contracts of their own free will, and the NFL owners are their employers, and as in any job anywhere, performance matters. Kaepernick was 1 - 10 in 2016, so his playing has declined, and his protest is likely viewed as a distraction for any prospective team.
1
As usual, CK and his crew forget the basics: the NFL isn't about sports, it is about entertainment. And like Kathy Griffin and others like her, when you're no longer entertaining, the customers tune out.
I refuse to watch the NFL, anymore.
I refuse to watch the NFL, anymore.
The whole point of democracy is that everyone can participate. If Kaepernick wants to take a knee, not vote, etc., then he clearly does not know what opportunity he has. Disrespecting the flag and national anthem is just poor taste.
28
The whole point of democracy is that everyone can CHOOSE to vote.
4
The shooting of black men by police disrespects the flag more than kneeling during an anthem.
6
@Peter Jackel - Both actions disrespect what the flag represents.
I find it curious that while Mr. Kaepernick apparently wants the conversation to be about the topic of racial injustice rather than himself, yet he turned down several invitations from the NYT to express his views in this article.
I find it curious that while Mr. Kaepernick apparently wants the conversation to be about the topic of racial injustice rather than himself, yet he turned down several invitations from the NYT to express his views in this article.
1
Thank you Collin.
102
In team sports, once the uniform is put on, everything is done as a team, the main goal is to play as a team, do the best you can and try to win, as a team. What is done without the uniform on is the individual right of everyone. What if there was a white supremacist on the team who was morally convinced that giving the nazi salute during the national anthem was his moral imperative? Would this be in the interest of team unity? People go to see professional sports as a relief from the stresses of politics and tough times. I do not believe that this is the venue for grievance divisiveness. I wish Colin all the best in finding his way in life, but I believe that he is taking the wrong route to resolving his concerns.
126
I don't agree that sports are there just for the relief from stresses of politics. For some people maybe, but professional sports in the US are extremely politicized. The anthem and hand-over-the-heart routine alone is what makes football (and other US sports) political. It's major way to foster nationalism, which is inherently political. (I don't agree with your comparison to the Nazi salute, that's just a false equivalence in my book).
As the author writes, Colin believes in every man or woman fighting for their rights, rather than expecting a leader to do so for the entire group. The football pitch is already a political venue, and all he did -- and hopefully will continue to do -- is use it as such. More power to him.
As the author writes, Colin believes in every man or woman fighting for their rights, rather than expecting a leader to do so for the entire group. The football pitch is already a political venue, and all he did -- and hopefully will continue to do -- is use it as such. More power to him.
32
What is the right route?
18
How quaint. It's been a long time since someone had the idea teams were important. It's pretty obvious his teammates value him having voted to give him the team's highest honor. There is so much for everyone to learn from what Kaepernick is doing and for the first time in a long time I'm happy that kids are watching because there's not much else happening in professional sports even half as honorable. For me there is no better role model, no greater American.
3
From this entirely too long article, one line and one line alone stands out, "second-string has-been looking for attention". I, as much as anyone can appreciate a political and social statement made for the benefit of the oppressed. But Colin has no idea what it means to be oppressed. He could read a thousand books on the subject but unless you are subjected to it, it is not the same. The fact that he did this all while on the job is a separate matter altogether.
16
Does one really have to experience oppression to not recognize it and speak out? Furthermore, who are we to say that he has not experienced oppression? I appreciate Colin sticking his neck out and using his platform to raise awareness. Additionally, Kaepernick is quietly backing it all up with action, creating greater impact advancing social justice than he ever could have by simply playing a game. When seeing Colin sitting/kneeling during the anthem, I am reminded of John Carlos and Tommie Smith; all speaking out with significant personal risk.
5
Yep, John, he was born in the NFL draft. He never had any other experiences. Not in college. Not in high school, not in primary school.
I honestly don't know his background, but you don't know if he has never felt oppressed. It is my understanding that being born with brown skin means one is almost guaranteed to experience oppression. Also, John, you as a white person (I'm rather certain I am on solid ground in that assumption) don't know what it is like to be a member of a minority.
I honestly don't know his background, but you don't know if he has never felt oppressed. It is my understanding that being born with brown skin means one is almost guaranteed to experience oppression. Also, John, you as a white person (I'm rather certain I am on solid ground in that assumption) don't know what it is like to be a member of a minority.
3
Good riddance NFL. I'd been feeling guilty about watching young adults sacrifice their brains as modern-day gladiators. This whole incident has been the final straw.