By Ethan Moore, Sports Editor.
It’s no secret that racial tensions have been continuously mounting for the past few months, with all the police shootings, terrorist attacks, riots, etc. Now more than ever we need people in the public eye to stand up for equal rights and peace. Enter Colin Kaepernick, quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers. He has decided to take a stand for oppressed minorities by sitting down during the playing of the national anthem before games.
I’m not entirely sure if there’s a way to stand up for minority rights without somebody getting mad at you, but sitting during a song that’s supposed to unite a nation certainly isn’t going to make you many friends. The internet was quick to bash on Kaepernick for “disrespecting the people who fight for our freedom,” and things of that nature, but our armed forces fight for this very right, the right to free speech. You may not like when he’s choosing to take a stand, but Kaepernick has a right to make the stand whenever he wants.
Kaepernick’s upbringing wasn’t exactly oppressive. He was adopted by a white family at a young age and grew up in a family with a good income along lots of brothers and sisters who he loves. His parents were always extremely supportive of him and often praised him for being a person of color. To top it all off, he’s now a multimillionaire who already has more than enough money to support himself for the rest of his life. Nothing about that seems “oppressive.” That’s not to say that minorities aren’t being oppressed in the US currently, I just wouldn’t call Kaepernick the poster boy for it.
With all of that being said, Kaepernick does every right to stand up for what he believes in. In a time where nobody on a large platform, such as a professional athlete, is willing to speak up for equality, it’s nice to see someone forcing us all to talk about it. That’s the most important part about all of this, love him or hate him what he’s doing is working.
Now could the reason he’s all of a sudden taking a stance on racial issues be because of his health issues and poor on-field performance, he’s in danger of being cut from the team. With all of the new buzz surrounding him, it’s going to be harder for the 49ers to cut due to the possible narrative that he’s being cut for his national anthem protest. His performance has certainly deemed him worthy of being released, but this controversy may be the thing that saves his job.
I think it’s extremely important that we have athletes who are willing to take a stand for what they believe in, but a better job must be done of working with PR teams and other people to make sure that you’re taking a intelligent, tasteful stand. Which is exactly what Kaepernick has done since he started his protest. He has now offered up articles and statistics to back up his talking points, and he’s even donating the money from his inflated jersey sales to charity. Colin Kaepernick may make you uncomfortable, maybe even angry, and that’s fine, but, he’s got every right to sit down for what he believes in. If you’re so eager to take away his first amendment right to do this, then you might be one of the reason’s he’s sitting.