Kaepernick does not sound articulate to me
He says he is going to metaphorically “stand” with the oppressed — by kneeling.
He says he will continue until a feeling comes over him that the “flag represents what it’s supposed to represent” (perhaps being unaware that the flag can represent to him whatever he wants it to represent).
He claims that, by setting himself apart from his teammates in silent protest, he can unify his team and his country in conversation.
The Kaepernick statements Gerald Lombardo chooses to quote are rambling, confused, unprepared, attention-seeking political fantasy.
Young athletes in America are taught to kneel (take a knee) when a player is injured on the field. This posture prevents the children from crowding around the injured player and interfering with medical care. It is a respectful gesture that transcends competition between teams, and reminds the children to be thankful for their own good health, mindful of the risks of competition, and (if they choose) to pray for the recovery of the injured.
Kaepernick could have said that he is using this American tradition in exactly the way we teach young athletes to use it. Or he could have channeled the legacy of kneeling in prayer that characterized the civil rights movement. Or he could have pointed to the fact that the “tradition” of ordering players to stand for the National Anthem is a fabrication paid for by the US military to encourage impressionable teenagers to enlist.
By contrast, the 1968 Olympics protest by medal-winning sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos (both later became professional football players) was a both an inspiration to the groups with whom they identified, and a critique of Olympic political hypocrisy. Both men are quoted in support Kaepernick, and I find that they both exemplify what articulate athletes can sound like.
