Colin Kaepernick - Is He Right?

     On September 1, 2016 the San Francisco 49ers' quarterback Colin Kaepernick decided to drop to his knee during the playing of the National Anthem. Kaepernick, in doing this, silently, but also deafeningly, made his protest against the racial prejudices in our country known by kneeling to the anthem as if to plead America to live up to it's preachments.

                                                                                       

              

          "I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color...                      To me, this is bigger than football, and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder." 

                                 -Colin Kaepernick

     

     

     Now, Kapernick's decision to make this loud statement against the nation's injustices against minorities was met with, of course, approving and disapproving opinions on whether this was the right thing for him to do. Was it really his place to bring something so political into the game of football? An unsaid understanding amongst athletes is an almost separation of church and state in that politics should be kept out and little should be said as to to avoid offending people. But is there an exception? Could Colin Kaepernick really be doing the right thing? I think, he just might be.

                                                
Because of what he's doing, Colin Kaepernick has been threatened and is said to be"undermining patriotism." But, the way I look at it, Kaepernick is doing anything but that. He is expressing his rights given to him by the First Amendment which guarantees the right to speak freely, or, to sit or stand in this respect. And, in going against the separation of church and state understanding, Kaepernick is able to actually use his power and influence to bring the injustices in the country to light rather than leaving them in the dark. Malcolm Jenkins, the Philadelphia Eagles corner-back and one of the many other NFL players who have taken on this stance with Colin Kaepernick, said: "The worst thing I think you can do as a football player is to have gotten to this stage, had the presence that you've had, and leave this game as just a football player." And Kaepernick, like Jenkins said, is not "just a football player", he is so much more now that he has sparked so many into joining him and has drawn so much attention not so much to himself, but to what he is standing, or rather kneeling, for. 



Gregory, Sean. "The Perilous Fight." Time Magazine. 2016. 38-40. Print.