No matter what happens when the final cuts are made, Colin Kaepernick already had the best preseason of anyone in the NFL.
He sparked vehement outrage.
He drew steadfast support.
He got us talking.
That is America—and its athletes—at their very best.
We’re not putting Kaepernick in the same league as Muhammad Ali, whose decision to not fight in Vietnam cost him more than three years in the prime of his career. Or mentioning the San Francisco 49ers quarterback in the same breath with Tommie Smith and John Carlos, who were sent home in disgrace from the 1968 Mexico City Olympics for giving a black power salute on the medal stand.
But Kaepernick 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.
For the past week, we’ve debated—in coffee shops, at work, on talk radio shows, around the dinner table—the merits of Kaepernick’s decision not to stand for the national anthem before games, his way of protesting the centuries-long short end of the stick that people of color have been getting in America, especially at the hands of the so-called justice system.
Maybe you don’t like his tactics, feel he is being disrespectful to what this country stands for—or, at least, is supposed to stand for.
That’s fine.
This is America. You’re free to express your opinions.
So is Kaepernick, who, it should be noted, wasn’t up in anyone’s face or being disruptive—not that there’s anything wrong with those tactics, either.
The biracial quarterback simply refused to stand for “The Star-Spangled Banner,” a gesture that actually went unnoticed for a couple of preseason games before someone finally realized what was up.
