“The point is that since Kaepernick is supporting a position that liberals support, he should be given a pass and allowed to do what he wants.”
I hate revisionist history. When, in America, did we decidedly turn away from the concept of personal responsibility? People need to understand that actions have consequences. Some of these consequences are good, some are not. However, we as individuals bear the repercussions of those decisions we made. I guess, that is, unless you are Colin Kaepernick, who apparently gets a free pass for his actions.
For those who do not know or recall, Kaepernick was the 49ers quarterback who made national headlines when he decided that he was going to sit during the national anthem to protest against the rampant police killings going on throughout the nation against unarmed, defenseless, model citizen black males like Michael Brown. Of course, Michael Brown was none of those things. Yet that did not stop the revisionists from changing the truth about the situation, making him into a martyr instead of stating the truth that he had just assaulted and stolen from a store clerk before assaulting a police officer, which led to him getting shot. So Kaepernick decided to show his support for thugs like Brown by sitting during the anthem. Just to prove the worth of his own character, he also wore socks with the police represented as pigs during training camp in the summer of 2016.
After finishing up the with 2016, Kaepernick found himself a free agent who was too toxic to sign with any teams in the NFL. Some have tried to argue that his time had passed and that he could no longer perform in the league. I do not claim to be a football statistics guy. In fact, I am the exact opposite. I enjoy watching the game but could probably list only three or four players playing throughout the NFL. However, from what I have read from the experts, many believe that while Kaepernick is definitely in his twilight years, he still retains enough skills to at least be a backup for many teams.
On March 27, 2017, apologist Doug Farrar wrote an article where he stated that the NFL owners “’genuinely hate him and can’t stand what he did [kneeling for the national anthem],’ one AFC general manager told Freeman. ‘They want nothing to do with him. They won’t move on. They think showing no interest is a form of punishment. I think some teams also want to use Kaepernick as a cautionary tale to stop other players in the future from doing what he did.’” He followed this up with, ‘If that’s true, we have a larger problem on our hands. America should not be a country where bosses collude to prevent qualified people from working just to present a negative example to others.’”
This is the stance that ESPN correspondents have also taken about Kaepernick. How dare the NFL blackball this player for his protests of police brutality, even if the facts do not support the narrative of institutional racism within the police departments. That is not the point. The point is that since Kaepernick is supporting a position that liberals support, he should be given a pass and allowed to do what he wants.
The problem for Farrar and all of the rest of those who want to play Chicken Little and call out the NFL for rampant racism is that they forget the facts of the case in favor of the rhetoric. The fact of the matter is that the NFL is a business. As such, the NFL has the goal of making money every year. To help with this line of thinking, Sporting News published an article in October 2016 saying that, in a survey, it was discovered that “only 13 percent said they were more likely to watch an NFL game because of continuing protests by Kaepernick and supporters such as Antonio Cromartie of the Colts (who was cut only two days after raising a fist during the playing of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ in London on Sunday).” In other words, Kaepernick’s stunt ended up hurting the bottom line of the NFL. Why should or would the NFL continue to have such a distraction on the roles?
ESPN may not like this fact, but the reality is they are not gods, simply individuals with a talent that entertains us
We need to remember that there are only so many slots on a roster. When a team adds a distraction to their lineup, it takes away from their ability to make money for their organizations. At the end of the day, if the teams don’t make money, then the players don’t get paid.
More importantly is the fact that Kaepernick did this during business hours, while he was on the clock. It isn’t like he went online and posted anti-police rhetoric at night before he went to bed in his multi-million-dollar home that was purchased with money earned from a racist organization that hired and paid him an exorbitant amount of money. He chose to make his statement on the sidelines during a game. He did so as a representative of the NFL. This is no different from a military member attending a political fundraising event in uniform, with the exception that the military forbids such divisive behavior as it detracts from the fact that as an organization it must be apolitical.
The NFL has a right to take any action it feels necessary against the players who hurt their image. As a veteran who knows the history of the anthem, I feel that trying to make a political message using the flag or anthem is a disgrace and shows a lack of both knowledge and respect surrounding the symbolism of these sacred items. With that being said, all Americans have the right to do so, but they face the consequences of their actions.
Here is where we come full circle with the article. Kaepernick had the right to sit or take a knee during the anthem. He also had the right to wear socks that portray the police as pigs. However, in doing so he faces the consequences from public backlash. No one, especially someone who uses the stage of fame, has the right to disrespect the symbols of what our country stands for and emerge unscathed.
Jerry Jones, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, understands this point. “I got to give a big pat on the back to our entire team, our coaching staff, our entire organization. We strongly, strongly support the flag. In every way, we support — it’s almost ridiculous to be saying it — the people that for generations and generations have given it all up so we can get out here and show off in front of millions of people on television. We respect that so much. That’s the real business. The forum of the NFL and the forum on television is a very significant thing. I’m for it being used in every way we can to support the great, great contributors in our society and that’s people that have supported America, the flag, and there’s no reason not to go all out right there. For anybody to use parts of that visibility to do otherwise is really disappointing.”
I could not agree more. So when a player chooses to “use parts of that visibility” to make a statement, they must accept that they open themselves up to a reaction from the fans who pay their checks. Those fans have a vote on whether or not these athletes have jobs. They have voted. ESPN may not like this fact, but the reality is they are not gods, simply individuals with a talent that entertains us—and that talent is not their anti-American politics.
