“Take a Knee”
“Take a knee”
For as long as I can remember, sports have always been a platform for athletes to raise awareness for social issues, it first publicized during the days of Mohammed Ali, who was protesting the Vietnam war and its atrocities. In more recent year, former San Francisco 49ers quarterback, Colin Kaepernick has been essentially “black balled” by the NFL because of his stance on racial inequalities, police brutality and his choice to kneel during the national anthem. Just last week, San Francisco Giants manager, Gabe Kapler, announced in response to the Uvalde elementary school shooting, he would not be coming out of the dugout for the national anthem until he feels the country in moving in a “better direction” with gun control.
The actions taken by Colin Kaepernick in the 2016 NFL season were monumental, however, not without stern consequences. Kaepernick, who is 34 years young, hasn’t played a down of football in the NFL since the 2016 season when he began his protest. The protest was extremely polarizing to the American public, especially after the election of President Donald Trump, who was quoted as saying, the NFL should “fire” any player who kneels for the national anthem. After the 2016 season, Kaepernick became a free agent but hasn’t been signed by any team, despite leading the 49ers to the 2013 Super Bowl.
There are many similarities between Kaepernick’s and Kalper’s protest of the national anthem. First, the obvious, they are both exercising their rights protected by the constitution. Second, they are both peaceful protests. And lastly, something that is often misconstrued, is that these protests of the anthem, are in no way, shape or form, an insult on military service members or even directed at them. Both Kaepernick and Kalper have displayed this, Kaepernick was quoted in a 2016 NFL.com article regarding his reasoning for kneeling, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” Kaepernick told NFL Media in an exclusive interview after the game. “To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.” (NFL.com) At what point does that disrespect the miliary and its members? Before I go much further, let me show a quote from Kalper explaining his decision to wait one game before beginning his protest, “I knew that thousands of people were using this game to escape the horrors of the world for just a little bit. I knew that thousands more wouldn’t understand the gesture and would take it as an offense to the military, to veterans, to themselves.” (New York Times). Kalpers goes one step further than Kaepernick and flat out says his protest has nothing to do with the military.
I write this on a Memorial Day weekend in Chicago where gun violence is ever so prevalent, 9 people were killed and another 52 were injured (Fox 32). I am also an Iraq war veteran, who hasn’t fired a weapon since, and am very desensitized to the horrors of life. I would even like to tell you that death makes me sick, however it wouldn’t be the truth. What does make me sick, is when the media takes our experiences and exploits them to create a false narrative. As you can see, without much research, both Kaepernick and Kalper’s motives are clear, just and legal. While we have seen Colin Kaepernick suffer career-wise for his actions, only time will tell with Kalper. My one hope is that America, has learned from Kaeprnick but who am I kidding, I wouldn’t be surprised if Kapler is soon unemployed, however I hope not and as a veteran, I fully support him.
Sources
Miller, Scott. “Amid Gun Violence, Giants Manager Will Not Come out for Anthem.” The New York Times, 28 May 2022, www.nytimes.com/2022/05/27/sports/baseball/giants-gape-kapler-anthem.html. Accessed 30 May 2022.
Wyche, Steve. “Colin Kaepernick Explains Why He Sat during National Anthem.” Www.nfl.com, NFL, 27 Aug. 2016, www.nfl.com/news/colin-kaepernick-explains-why-he-sat-during-national-anthem-0ap3000000691077.
“9 Killed, 52 Others Wounded in Weekend Shootings Citywide.” FOX 32 Chicago, 18 Sept. 2021, www.fox32chicago.com/news/9-killed-52-others-wounded-in-weekend-shootings-citywide. Accessed 30 May 2022.
