“Taking away from his argument, King successfully blasted people for their political beliefs, while complaining about the fact that Kaepernick has been ostracized for his political beliefs.”
Black Lives Matter activist and columnist Shaun King has announced that he will boycott the NFL this season in a column titled, “I’m boycotting the NFL because of its anti-blackness.” According to King, Colin Kaepernick has been blacklisted by the NFL over the political stance he took last season by taking a knee during the national anthem to protest police brutality in America. According to King, the fact that the Seattle Seahawks met with Kaepernick and decided to sign Austin Davis instead shows how Kaepernick is being punished. King then proceeded to tear into Davis, calling him a “scrub” in an effort to legitimize his outrageous claim.
King continues to blast those who aren’t outraged by Kaepernick not being signed by a team as people who “don’t know football and probably voted for Donald Trump.” His decision to boycott also had to do with the number of President Trump supporters within the NFL. Taking away from his argument, King successfully blasted people for their political beliefs, while complaining about the fact that Kaepernick has been ostracized for his political beliefs.
Another issue King has taken up in regard to the upcoming season is ESPN’s decision to bring back Hank Williams Jr. to sing the Monday Night Football anthem, after a six-year ban from the network over remarks he made about former President Obama. According to King, “Hank Williams Jr. is basically Donald Trump with a guitar. He’s a bigot. Everyone knows it. His songs and statements have echoed bigotry for years, but now that Obama is out of office, he’s back.” He also asserts that this action is a “spit in the face” to every African-American fan.
However noble Shaun King thinks his boycott is, it’s incredibly one-sided. He stated that the New York Giants had received an unprecedented amount of emails from fans urging the team to steer clear of Colin Kaepernick, threatening to boycott if otherwise. This is a risk anyone takes when they bring politics to work. A place of business is not a platform for social justice warriors to act in the manner Kaepernick did, knowing full well it would bring controversy and outrage. He continued kneeling for the national anthem despite backlash and did so unapologetically, no matter how many fans of his own team took issue with his actions.
Conveniently, Colin Kaepernick announced that he was done kneeling for the national anthem as he began seeking employment. According to him, his mission had been accomplished throughout the season because it got people talking about racial injustice in America. It also got him blacklisted by teams who refuse to take him on, as he is now a liability to the franchise.
Regardless of how much good he’s done for charities and organizations, Kaepernick should have left politics off the field. Fans don’t tune into the NFL to hear about politics or someone’s beliefs. The NFL needs to remain a neutral space and Colin Kaepernick did nothing but shove politics down everyone’s throats and was a huge distraction all season.
