The “Kneel” and where do we go from here
Believe it or not, the Colin Kaepernick story is not going away quite like the white elite anticipate it would. Surprising, I know, seeing how the world generally bends to whims of rich white men who happen to be both racist and inconsiderate. They even sent Kate Upton out there to be the recipient of an epic Twitter clap back, because who better to weigh in on the plight of disenfranchised black people than a pretty white girl who came into fame jiggling to Kat Daddy. Not a dissimilar act Antonio Brown got penalized for just this Monday.
The NFL, more so than any other league is the domain of rich white men with a dare eye say unilateral agenda. Roger Goodell has, up to this point, managed to rule with a more or less iron grip on the league, serving his overlords faithfully. Any dissent gets put down quickly and with no hesitation, and largely due to on-field anonymity of the players it hasn’t been an issue. To the owners and the fans, these are just some men wearing helmets that will come and go. Yes, we get attached to names and skills attached to their names, but as long as it’s replaced by someone in the rotation we’ll be okay. Thus, everyone expected Colin Kaepernick’s career come to a very sudden and screeching halt. Yet, it was not so.
A variety of players joined the process either by kneeling with Colin or raising their fists in solidarity not dissimilar to Tommie Smith and John Carlos. What’s more, the protest spread outside of the NFL, with Megan Rapinoe taking a knee herself to protest the history of discrimination against the LGBTQ community in the US. At a grassroots level, high school players across the country are choosing to kneel, sometimes at their own peril. This is no longer the act of one man and this can no longer get swept under the rug.
Of course, the NFL has backpedaled as teams numerously stated that each player is free to express his free speech, an act so reminiscent of washing your hands of any responsibility I can smell the chlorine from here. While it was just Kaepernick, the answer was simple, maroon him to the bench and drop him when the news cycle cannibalizes itself like an Ouroboros. Now, players who have taken on a responsibility to support their league-mate have taken on the responsibility to keep the conversation going. Having explained their decisions to sit, they will now have to explain their decision to stand up. This is a long haul.
Some teams of course have chose a more “unified,” approach to the issue, which is to say — the path of least resistance. The Seattle Seahawks chose to link arms through the anthem, an action as toothless as their teams appeared on Sunday barely scratching by the Miami Dolphins. And while the they only appear to be taking a stand for something while actually simply choosing to remain in the ambiguity of the status quo, the action still matters. They are taking an action. They are taking an action that comes as a direct result of an action taken by one man during a preseason game on August 14th and now we’re talking about it, it has gone far too long in today’s news environment which makes ADD look like bullet time mode from the Matrix.
So what’s next? Who’s next? The NHL is probably out of the question, although if a predominantly Caucasian league takes up the cause, it will be a major step. Do fans join in? Do players like Aaron Rogers join their comrades on the sidelines? Does the NFL eliminate the anthem from the proceedings (unlikely) thus proving that a voice matters. Will the MLB, a league hot on the playoff trail use it’s national attention to further the cause?
The important question is, will it stretch to the NBA? The National Basketball Association is by far the most liberal of all major leagues in the US. It’s players protested the death of Eric Garner as well as those that followed. Chris Paul, Carmelo and LeBron gave the now famous ESPN pre-amble and Carmelo is the foremost advocate for stopping police brutality and expanding on race relations. Unlike the NFL, the NBA’s biggest stars can take on the mantle in a second with the league powerless to stop them unless it loses revenue. You can’t just sit out LeBron James.
The irony of it all cannot be lost on those up top. For years we’ve been told that non-violence is the key. It’s the solution to a problem that has spilled over into the streets. Yet when non-violence is implemented the answer was “not this kind of non-violence.” So where now? For all of the attention the protests have gathered, we have yet to hear a serious discussion on disproportionate incarceration rates, crime rates in poorer neighborhoods, police reform. Instead the narrative turned to “patriotism,” support of our troops, political viewpoints. The irony of shaming someone for kneeling during an anthem while a giant American flag waves in the wind and fighter jets fly over at deafening speed while also arguing for separation of politics from sports should not be lost here. This discussion has gotten uncomfortable for those invested in the status quo. If they can’t make it go away, they will feed it down your throat until you’re tired of it (the camera focused almost exclusively on Kaepernick during MNF anthem moment). And if that doesn’t work, well, we’ve never been here before.
I honestly don’t know how many people will pick up the protest but I do know what needs to happen next for all of it to not be for naught. Have an actual discussion about the issues at hand. Do not let the narrative focus on perceived patriotism or faux-nationalism and veil the racism behind it. For all the conversation that we’ve had about this, we’re not talking about the right things. With all due respect, who gives a fuck about someone’s actions during the national anthem in games or it’s impact on the proceedings off the NFL game. You should instead give a fuck of why the national anthem would be viewed by some people as an oppressive manifesto and not a direct proclamation of the American Dream we’ve all come to believe it is.
Let’s talk.
