San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick was once considered a rising star of the NFL. He proved equally adept at running the ball and throwing it. This past weekend, Kaepernick created quite a stir by what he did before a recent preseason game with the Green Bay Packers in San Francisco.
“The Star Spangled Banner” has always preceded all major team professional sporting events. The Packers-49ers game was no exception, as fans at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California stood in an orderly fashion and placed their right hands over their hearts as a gesture of respect for the national anthem. Players from both teams did the same, except for Kaepernick. He sat on the bench, which was taken as a lack of respect for the national anthem and the American flag that the song represents.
Kaepernick had sat through the anthem in the 49ers’ previous two preseason games. But that went largely unnoticed because he wasn’t in uniform to play those games. However, a photo was taken of him in full uniform sitting on the bench instead of standing with his teammates and saying hello to America. When asked why he didn’t show up for the anthem after the game, Kaepernick said, “I’m not going to stand up to show pride in a flag of a country that oppresses blacks and people of color. For me, this is bigger. than football and it would be selfish of me to look the other way. There are corpses in the street and people who receive paid licenses and get away with it. “
Not surprisingly, Kaepernick’s stance has earned him the ire of the social media universe. Many people have flocked to cyberspace to target the half-black, half-white Kaepernick with racial epithets, in addition to wishing him physical harm. Clearly, many in America are serious about showing due respect for the national anthem and are either willing to offer a viable alternative for their protest, or they choose to ignore it altogether.
But I digress. Kaepernick has stated that he will continue to sit for the national anthem before each game until his concerns about the treatment of blacks in the United States are rectified. That day is far from becoming a reality, as several incidents of black citizens killed by law enforcement and non-black citizens have brought America’s relationship with its black citizens to the fore.
Kaepernick has also expressed his willingness to sacrifice his football career, as well as his support off the field, for his cause. His performance on the field has waned in recent years, as former Jacksonville Jaguars first-round pick Blaine Gabbert has been considered the 49ers’ starting quarterback. Simply put, Kaepernick has become expendable. But his stance goes beyond the X’s and O’s on the grid. That said, do you think Kaepernick’s stance is treacherous or admirable, and why?
