Colin Kaepernick – Hero or Martyr?
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Colin Kaepernick – Hero or Martyr?
Oh say can you see, by the dawn’s early light… With right hand over your heart you’re standing amongst many singing the national anthem at an NFL showdown. Thousands of excited fans surrounding you. No doubt you’re excited to see your favorite team play and get a glimpse of your favorite player. But there’s one fan favorite you won’t see on the field this year – Colin Kaepernick formally of the San Francisco 49’ers.
Kaepernick, in the 2016 NFL football season staged silent protests during the singing of the national anthem by taking a knee instead of participating. He was protesting the killing of black men at the hands of police. His stand against police brutality and racism sparked the nation, including many high school and college teams to follow suit and protest as well.
This stance that sparked a nation also sparked a darker reality amongst the NFL owners. Some ascertain that the NFL owners are colluding to keep Kaepernick out of the NFL to teach him a lesson. To date he hasn’t been signed to a team and in the first time since he was a boy he didn’t play in a season opening game.
Is it a conspiracy? Is it fair to prohibit someone for expressing their beliefs? Now I’ve heard some say that he shouldn’t have protested on the field because that’s a place of business and the NFL is a business. That’s like saying those African American students shouldn’t have staged the sit-ins at lunch counters during the Civil Rights movement since it was a place of business or any of the other boycotts for that matter.
Nothing in this country would have been accomplished if it weren’t for some sort of protest. Whether it’s a one-man protest or several thousand people, protests bring awareness to the masses and shines the light on moral wrongs. We need them if America is going to continue being the land of the free.
There’s a call to boycott the NFL. I’m not saying you should or you shouldn’t, especially since I’m not an NFL fan but I am asking you to ponder the situation. If you feel in your heart it’s wrong then do something. Stage your own protest!
Until next time…Enjoy the journey!
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