The Kaepernick Effect
Social activism on the national level has the potential to create a split at even the smallest of organizations. The debate on kneeling for the national anthem has trickled down to Division III SUNY Oswego, where students and those involved with the athletic programs had strong feelings on the issue.
When Colin Kaepernick took a knee this past NFL season, the country was separated into camps. Most either admired or despised Kaepernick for his decision; few Americans were indifferent on the issue. SUNY Oswego was largely similar; student-athletes and coaches were more than willing to share their opinions on the Kaepernick protest.
One student-athlete had a particularly strong stance against what Colin Kaepernick did and disagrees with the protest.
“Taking a knee for the national anthem, that is a little bit disrespectful. Our military has fought for the flag and I think you should stand if you are able,” said sophomore volleyball player Alison Sullivan.
There is a concern about players’ feelings on this protest and how it would affect team morale if someone on the team were to do the same thing as Kaepernick. With strong opinions on both sides, there is the question of whether a protest like this would affect the team’s performance on the field (in this case the volleyball court). Sullivan says although a protest by a teammate would bother her, she would ignore it after the game started.
“If a teammate knelt for the anthem I would probably shoot her a dirty look but that would be the extent of it; we’re a team that wants to win and we can’t do that if we are holding grudges against each other on the court,” Sullivan said.
The idea that disparity off the court does not necessarily cause it on the court is an idea that NFL teams may want to look into. Although Kaepernick’s outspoken stance on social issues will be disagreed with by some of his teammates, that doesn’t mean his lineman won’t block for him or his receivers won’t catch his passes. This is a quarterback who is only a few years removed from a Super Bowl appearance, yet he hasn’t received any offers from NFL teams.
Junior Keegan Murphy believes that it doesn’t matter whether you agree with the protest. Regardless of how people feel about the action Kaepernick is still allowed to do it. Murphy said kneeling for the anthem is not something he would do, but isn’t against the idea that Kaepernick and others should be allowed to do this.
“Personally it isn’t a choice I would make but as an American he has the right to freely express his beliefs,” Murphy said.
The “stick to sports” argument often gets brought up whenever an athlete or sports journalist takes on a political issue like social activism. While it is true that professionals dedicate a majority of their lives to sports, this doesn’t mean it is the only thing in their lives. Murphy said he thinks it’s ridiculous to expect any sort of athlete to ignore prevalent issues.
“It is unrealistic to think that athletes won’t express their opinion if they feel strongly enough about an issue. They are people too and they shouldn’t be judged for having opinions like everyone else,” Murphy said.
While both Sullivan and Murphy were opponents of Kaepernick kneeling for the anthem, others felt the exact opposite. Head volleyball coach J.J. O’Connell said because Kaepernick was protesting in a non-disruptive way, he should not be condemned for his actions.
“In terms of a protest, you can have a lot more dangerous protests. He was going with a more peaceful protest and was just trying to bring attention to an issue he has with our country,” O’Connell said.
O’Connell said he admires Kaepernick because he’s not only standing for something he believes in, but he’s also donating to charities to assist troubled communities and help people who he feels are being oppressed. Essentially, he’s putting his money where his mouth is.
“He’s not only making a statement through his protest, but he’s also made all these donations and things like that so you have to respect that he’s walking the walk,” said O’Connell.
Many young women and men across the country were inspired by Kaepernick’s actions. Students and athletes who also felt they were being oppressed by our country knelt for the anthem, including one at Nottingham High School in Syracuse. Three black members of the football team knelt during the anthem, likely in ode to Kaepernick. The players never actually said they were protesting the oppression of people of color like Kaepernick did, but it is likely they were inspired by him. An instance like this demonstrates the trickle-down effect a protest on the national stage can have. If something similar were to happen before a SUNY Oswego volleyball game, O’Connell said he would support it fully.
“As head coach it’s one of my responsibilities to support my players. We have an African-American student on the team, we have a Muslim student on the team. Kaepernick represents both of those groups and is protesting for them, and I would fully support it if any of my players chose to do that,” O’Connell said.
It is logical for issues like this to come up on college campuses. Students come from many different backgrounds and bring specific sets of beliefs with them when they leave home. You have students that come from conservative households who believe everyone should stand for the anthem in honor of the men and women who fight to defend our freedom. Then you have students who come from liberal households who are more tolerant of such actions and believe those who feel oppressed can protest in any way they see fit, even during our country’s national anthem.
Colin Kaepernick knows that there are a lot of people who disagreed with what he was doing. However, by causing such polarizing opinions Kaepernick was accomplishing the goal of getting people to recognize this issue. With his protest came massive amounts of publicity, as evidenced by a nationwide discussion. When even Division III Suny Oswego and Nottingham High School are debating a simple kneel for the National Anthem, you know you’ve made a powerful statement.