Colin Kaepernick Takes a Knee for Civil Rights

With football season upon us, there has been a bit more drama than the usual fantasy football ranking and picking frenzy. Colin Kaepernick sat down for the National Anthem in protest of recent events that he deems unfair, and wrong towards African Americans and minorities involved in said events. So many people were mad for so many reasons, but in reality, he did nothing wrong. In fact, Kaepernick did everything right – well almost.

His peaceful nod to the Black Lives Matter movement gave him the opportunity to make his voice be heard with the media, busting open the conversation on the issue. As a well-spoken individual, he made his points during his interview and made it understood that he wasn’t going to respect the flag as a symbol of liberty until he feels that the liberties are being granted to every group of people. Kaepernick could have been more sensitive to the timing and circumstances of his protest. Since the flag stands for more than what he’s trying to change, he did step on a few toes namely the military community. However, he may not have received as large of a response had he done it differently so maybe that was a sacrifice he was willing to make.

The following preseason game Kaepernick knelt for the National Anthem, continuing with what he set out to do. Fast forward a few days and you see athletes on other NFL teams following his lead, and it even carried over into women’s soccer. With all the attention this act received, Kaepernick’s jersey sales skyrocketed to the number one spot in the NFL store. Clearly, he isn’t making his stand for personal gains, so he did come out and say that all proceeds from his jersey sales would be going back into the community to help with the cause.

It just blows my mind how powerful the world of sports can be, and Colin Kaepernick’s stand/kneel/sit sparked a nation-wide conversation that needs to happen. I look forward to more acts of humanity this football season.