Standing Up for What’s Right, or Total Disrespect?
If you haven’t already heard, San Francisco 49ers quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, has been causing an enormous amount of chaos with his recent gestures in the sports world. The Super Bowl finalist sat down during the National anthem of a pre-season game, then kneeled during the next one, and to make all of this even worse, he wore socks with policeman depicted as pigs at a practice; all in protest of the racial tensions going on in the United States of America. Now we all know that there is a gun problem as well as a huge racial problem in this country, and from what I see, Colin Kaepernick, a true patriot, is one of the only ones who is trying to make a difference, using his fame and popularity to send a powerful message across. And boy has it worked!
Now, his methods might have been a tad harsh – boycotting the national anthem, and disrespecting all the veterans that have fought for that flag – but some superstar players and even military veterans support his protest for racial equality. A very popular social activist, and the NBA’s all-time scoring leader, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar admires the young man’s patriotism, believing that he is taking a step in the right direction.
Others who support the 49ers quarterback are Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, who devotes his “support 1000%”; American soccer stars Jozy Altidore and fan favorite Megan Rapinoe (who kneeled herself during the anthem), Doug Baldwin, Russell Okung and even the man who just split up with Iggy Azalea, Los Angeles Lakers guard, Nick Young. Even President Obama had a few words to say: “I think he cares about some real, legitimate issues that have to be talked about.”
On the other hand, potential future president Donald Trump said “that Kaepernick should find a country that works better for him.” Obviously, we all know Mr. Trump has some extremely delicate and exaggerated opinions, but the likes of David Backes (Boston Bruins), NFL’er Cam Newton, many San Francisco 49er fans and especially, the San Francisco PD are somewhat ambivalent and quite furious with the 28-year old’s actions. Even Kaepernick’s coach Jim Harbaugh does not respect the motivation and the action his backup quarterback has taken.
The saddest part is Colin Kaepernick isn’t doing this to start problems, he is trying to fix the ones that already exist, as racial tensions have always been a huge problematic in the US, and have been growing lately. The sportsman will be donating one million dollars of his earnings to charities supporting racial equality, as he feels it is the right thing to do.
Some fans are disgusted with his actions, burning his jersey in retaliation. Amazingly enough, Kaepernick’s jersey sales have skyrocketed, selling more jerseys in the last week than in the past eight months. Phenomenal!
Colin Kaepernick has gotten his message across, impacting the sports world drastically; possibly sacrificing his playing days in San Francisco and maybe even his career as a whole in the process. Like it or hate it, everyone is entitled to their opinion and I truly believe that we need more people like this, who have the courage to stand up for what they truly think is right!
Written By: Brandon Brini
