One central question is at the heart of the Colin Kaepernick controversy: Is the American flag a symbol of freedom and opportunity, or a symbol of oppression and racism?
Kaepernick is the San Francisco 49ers quarterback who became controversial for taking a political stand by sitting. He refused to get to his feet for the national anthem during a preseason game, choosing to keep his hind end on the bench. It was his way of protesting what he sees as police brutality against blacks.
“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 said after the game. “There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”
He was joined by a smattering of other players as the protest continued into the regular season. Kaepernick and teammate Eric Reid took a knee during the national anthem before a game against the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night. Less than half a dozen players on both teams raised their fists as a protest.
This country is not perfect. How can it be, when it is populated by imperfect people? We should always be aware of injustice, voice our concerns, and take whatever steps we can to improve things.
So good for Kaepernick for speaking out, and for taking a stand. Good for him for using his platform to speak up. But this is not the right way to do it.
There are many problems with his protest. Yes, there is undeniable evidence of police violence against blacks. But Kaepernick is continuing the narrative of an army of racist cops preying on black men — a narrative unsupported by statistical analysis.
The QB painted with too broad of a brush during training camp by wearing socks that showed cartoon pigs in police hats. It’s one thing to speak up against police violence. It’s another to employ an overtly insulting gesture that arguably contributes to violence against police.
But the biggest problem is Kaepernick’s view of the flag. He is showing blatant disrespect for everyone who has sacrificed and died for the freedoms and opportunity it represents — including the opportunity to play a sport that pays him millions.
For all the imperfections, and abuses of power, America is still the greatest nation on the planet. It is a country where even a mixed-race baby whose father abandoned him before he was born can be raised by a white couple and go on to play in the NFL.
Kaepernick has been hailed as courageous by some. An Associated Press columnist wrote he is “certainly following in the footsteps of those giants, who bravely protested this country’s injustices even when they knew it would come at enormous personal cost.”
Enormous personal cost? The man makes millions of dollars to play a game. A guaranteed salary of $11.9 million for the 2016 season to be exact, even though the once-promising quarterback no longer starts for his team.
Brave? Hardly. This is not courage on the scale of Tommie Smith and John Carlos, who rightly protested overt racism and segregation after winning gold and bronze, respectively, at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. Each man bowed his head and raised a black-gloved fist as the national anthem played during the medal ceremony.
They were amateur athletes without multi-million-dollar contracts. Their stance took guts. They knew there would be fallout. Both men were immediately suspended, and roundly criticized.
Kaepernick? Not so much. In today’s political climate, ruled by left-leaning social justice warriors and virtue signalers, he stands zero chance of being punished by his employer.
Sure, he might lose endorsements if economic pressures force companies to drop him. But backup quarterbacks aren’t exactly awash in endorsements to begin with.
Smith said the Mexico City medal stand protest was “a cry for freedom and for human rights. We had to be seen because we couldn’t be heard.” Kaepernick, on the other hand, can be both seen and heard. He plays in the most popular sport in a country that idolizes athletes. He has a voice.
Colin Kaepernick should continue to speak out against injustice. But he should also remember that America has more freedoms than any other on the globe. Americans have died, are dying and will continue to die for those freedoms.
He doesn’t have to have pride in our country, but he should not be allowed to disrespect it.
