Colin Kaepernick: From one man kneeling to a movement dividing a country

[theonlywayisup]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/american-football/41530732

What's everyones view of the movement in the USA which started Colin Kaepernick started to kneel during the USA anthem and led to a movement dividing a country?

Reading the link, I can't believe the loss of life.

Philando Castile, 32, is shot seven times during a traffic stop. He died in the driver's seat with his girlfriend beside him and her four-year-old daughter in the back. Police dashcam footage shows officer Jeronimo Yanez firing several times into the car. He pulled it over because of a broken brake light.

Elsewhere, another officer appears to cuff the man's hands behind his back. Another, positioned by the man's shoulders, tightly presses his head to the ground. The same officer moves one hand away, reaching for his gun. He points it to the man's chest, and fires. Alton Sterling, 37, died of gunshot wounds to the chest and back.

You wonder where does the US go from here. The divide in a Trump led USA is only get wider.

[Pretty Boy]

I've posted abut this on the NFL thread but the way a symbolic protest by a few players is being portrayed as some sort of slight on the American military, victims of 9/11 and the entire western way of life amongst other things is disgraceful and bizarre. It seems freedom of speech isn't the inalienable right it once was.

Colin Kaepernick must be terrifying to the U.S. Establishment. A successful, black vegan who believes in left wing politics. It's no wonder they are desperate to smear and alienate the guy.

[lapsedhibee]

You wonder where does the US go from here. The divide in a Trump led USA is only get wider.
Not all bad though. Didn't his secretary of state fail to deny calling Trump a moron the other day? That's a good sign shirley?

[hibsbollah]

It's been discussed a little bit on the Nfl thread. I very much support the players attempt to raise awareness of the subject, and I hope that Kaepernick gets a job soon. It's crazy that an athlete as talented as he is is being essentially blackballed by the league for merely speaking his mind.

[Haymaker]

His protest is justified 100%. However his way of protesting was poorly thought out.

Most (read 99% of) people who I know who bring it up are completely ignoring what he's protesting about - it's all about how he's disrespectful to the country/vets/very freedoms he has... Not a peep about the cause for his protest which ultimately means he's failed.

However, it's very media led... And establishment led.

[theonlywayisup]

I thought it might have been discussed on the NFL thread but as someone who finds the American Football extremely boring I've not read through that thread.

I see that he has filed a grievance against NFL team owners he believes are conspiring not to hire him because of his protests against racial injustice.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/american-football/41630253

[Colr]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/american-football/41530732

What's everyones view of the movement in the USA which started Colin Kaepernick started to kneel during the USA anthem and led to a movement dividing a country?

Reading the link, I can't believe the loss of life.

Philando Castile, 32, is shot seven times during a traffic stop. He died in the driver's seat with his girlfriend beside him and her four-year-old daughter in the back. Police dashcam footage shows officer Jeronimo Yanez firing several times into the car. He pulled it over because of a broken brake light.

Elsewhere, another officer appears to cuff the man's hands behind his back. Another, positioned by the man's shoulders, tightly presses his head to the ground. The same officer moves one hand away, reaching for his gun. He points it to the man's chest, and fires. Alton Sterling, 37, died of gunshot wounds to the chest and back.

You wonder where does the US go from here. The divide in a Trump led USA is only get wider.

The movement didn’t divide the country, it highlighted that the country was divided.

[NAE NOOKIE]

When you look at the brutal treatment of their national anthem by a whole bunch of singers over the last decade or so you would think a few guys taking the knee wouldn't be such a big deal .... there's an episode of Family Guy where Peter wins a dirt bike and plays the anthem using the throttle which clearly takes the piss out of all these singers who mangle it on a regular basis at Baseball and American football games, its bloody hilarious :greengrin

To be serious though, you would think Americans would be more concerned about the situation which lead Kaepernick and now other players to mount this protest than the protest itself. The funny thing about this is that most of the owners seem to be if not openly backing their players at least refusing to condemn them .... its actually pretty ironic that Robert Kraft the owner of the New England 'Patriots' is one of the few openly backing his players right to protest as they see fit.

Its OK for Trump to lead the knee jerk unthinking backlash .... for the owners the situation is different, start suspending or sacking players over this and they will have a strike on their hands and they know it.

[lord bunberry]

I watched a game on Sunday and it suggested he was possibly going to be brought back into the fold by the Green Bay Packers.

[Bristolhibby]

I watched a game on Sunday and it suggested he was possibly going to be brought back into the fold by the Green Bay Packers.

With Rogers out for the season, there’s a good chance. Also the thing I like about the Packers is the team is fan owned. The only team in the NFL that is not a franchise. The town is Packers daft and the team will never be leaving.

If there’s one team that are the good guys, it’s them. Oh and they play in green.

That said, Kaepernick is rank. However a few seasons ago when the 49ers got to the Super Bowl he was unstoppable. Guess he needs a coach to get his head in gear.

J

[Sir David Gray]

I think there's a clear and legitimate argument for African Americans to feel that that they are not treated as equals in many aspects of their daily lives but I'm really not sure that disrespecting the national anthem is the best way of highlighting these issues.

[Colr]

With Rogers out for the season, there’s a good chance. Also the thing I like about the Packers is the team is fan owned. The only team in the NFL that is not a franchise. The town is Packers daft and the team will never be leaving.

If there’s one team that are the good guys, it’s them. Oh and they play in green.

That said, Kaepernick is rank. However a few seasons ago when the 49ers got to the Super Bowl he was unstoppable. Guess he needs a coach to get his head in gear.

J

I would live the Pack to sign him. He was good a couple of years back and we’re in a really difficult place without Rogers. He may be the best option.

[Colr]

Here you go! Chip in!!

https://www.change.org/p/green-bay-packers-bring-kaepernick-to-the-packers

[Gatecrasher]

I would live the Pack to sign him. He was good a couple of years back and we’re in a really difficult place without Rogers. He may be the best option.
I agree that Green Bay would be one of the better places for him but I think Tony Romo would be a better option if they decide to bring someone in (which i dont think they will), Romo is from Wisconsin and far more capable than Kaepernick is. I also think him filing a lawsuit against the NFL is the final nail in his already dead career.

I wasnt a fan of the protests to begin with but i think i was a bit ignorant of the issues, after seeing how people have reacted and some of the things being discussed around this issue its clear the US has a major problem to solve and they can only do that by talking about things and bringing in change

[Sergio sledge]

I agree that Green Bay would be one of the better places for him but I think Tony Romo would be a better option if they decide to bring someone in (which i dont think they will), Romo is from Wisconsin and far more capable than Kaepernick is. I also think him filing a lawsuit against the NFL is the final nail in his already dead career.

I wasnt a fan of the protests to begin with but i think i was a bit ignorant of the issues, after seeing how people have reacted and some of the things being discussed around this issue its clear the US has a major problem to solve and they can only do that by talking about things and bringing in change

You'd put Romo behind the Pack O-line? You need a mobile quarterback because the protection they are providing just now is poor.

Agree about Kaepernick, if he had any hope of making a comeback you would think the lawsuit would now kill it.

The NFL owners were (for the most part) against the protests, then when they realised there was publicity to be had came out in support of 'unity', now they are trying to end the protests again. They'll do whatever is best for them financially, if that was signing Kaepernick, he'd be on a team right now.

Saw a picture of a jets fan with a "I stand for the anthem" t-shirt on, ironically he was using the stars and stripes as a blanket to sit down on the ground on. What's more disrespectful, kneeling during the national anthem or sitting down on the flag so your shorts don't get dirty?...

[Sylar]

I think there's a clear and legitimate argument for African Americans to feel that that they are not treated as equals in many aspects of their daily lives but I'm really not sure that disrespecting the national anthem is the best way of highlighting these issues.

The same nonsense the far-right in America are using to argue against the protest.

They're not disrespecting the anthem, they're not disrespecting the military, they're not disrespecting the flag. They're peacefully kneeling down or locking arms and silently observing the national anthem as it's 'sung'.

"They're entitled to protest, but we just wish they'd do it in a different way" - yeah, how? People have paid attention here. It's a movement that's highlighted a major issue in a big way.

The faux-patriot, nationalist nonsense that oozes out of American sporting culture is utterly nauseating, and perhaps if they wouldn't associate sport with their military, flag and anthem concomitantly at every single game, this wouldn't be such a powerful movement. That sort of stuff at international games, I totally understand, but bringing nationalist politics into sport is gutter fan behaviour. And so is using it as a stick to beat an oppressed community of people.

[McD]

The same nonsense the far-right in America are using to argue against the protest.

They're not disrespecting the anthem, they're not disrespecting the military, they're not disrespecting the flag. They're peacefully kneeling down or locking arms and silently observing the national anthem as it's 'sung'.

"They're entitled to protest, but we just wish they'd do it in a different way" - yeah, how? People have paid attention here. It's a movement that's highlighted a major issue in a big way.

The faux-patriot, nationalist nonsense that oozes out of American sporting culture is utterly nauseating, and perhaps if they wouldn't associate sport with their military, flag and anthem concomitantly at every single game, this wouldn't be such a powerful movement. That sort of stuff at international games, I totally understand, but bringing nationalist politics into sport is gutter fan behaviour. And so is using it as a stick to beat an oppressed community of people.


:top marks Terrific post

[Sylar]

You'd put Romo behind the Pack O-line? You need a mobile quarterback because the protection they are providing just now is poor.

Agree about Kaepernick, if he had any hope of making a comeback you would think the lawsuit would now kill it.

The NFL owners were (for the most part) against the protests, then when they realised there was publicity to be had came out in support of 'unity', now they are trying to end the protests again. They'll do whatever is best for them financially, if that was signing Kaepernick, he'd be on a team right now.

Saw a picture of a jets fan with a "I stand for the anthem" t-shirt on, ironically he was using the stars and stripes as a blanket to sit down on the ground on. What's more disrespectful, kneeling during the national anthem or sitting down on the flag so your shorts don't get dirty?...

Pretty sure it's actually against their famous 'flag code' for it to be used on any type of commercial good. But people don't complain about that.

People also don't complain that the flag isn't supposed to be splayed out vertically across the field, and should only ever be displayed aloft.

Also, although the anthem has been played at pretty much every single sporting event (much to my disdain) since the post-WW2 era, it's only since 2009 the NFL players have actually been on the field to observe it. Bet none of the pre-2009 class were 'sons of bitches' though.

The whole thing really boils my pish, as it's a horrible, horrible core of people who actively shout down these protests. Mostly white, cis, right leaning individuals who wouldn't know a thing about existing in an oppressed community.

[Pretty Boy]

The same nonsense the far-right in America are using to argue against the protest.

They're not disrespecting the anthem, they're not disrespecting the military, they're not disrespecting the flag. They're peacefully kneeling down or locking arms and silently observing the national anthem as it's 'sung'.

"They're entitled to protest, but we just wish they'd do it in a different way" - yeah, how? People have paid attention here. It's a movement that's highlighted a major issue in a big way.

The faux-patriot, nationalist nonsense that oozes out of American sporting culture is utterly nauseating, and perhaps if they wouldn't associate sport with their military, flag and anthem concomitantly at every single game, this wouldn't be such a powerful movement. That sort of stuff at international games, I totally understand, but bringing nationalist politics into sport is gutter fan behaviour. And so is using it as a stick to beat an oppressed community of people.


Pretty sure it's actually against their famous 'flag code' for it to be used on any type of commercial good. But people don't complain about that.

People also don't complain that the flag isn't supposed to be splayed out vertically across the field, and should only ever be displayed aloft.

Also, although the anthem has been played at pretty much every single sporting event (much to my disdain) since the post-WW2 era, it's only since 2009 the NFL players have actually been on the field to observe it. Bet none of the pre-2009 class were 'sons of bitches' though.

The whole thing really boils my pish, as it's a horrible, horrible core of people who actively shout down these protests. Mostly white, cis, right leaning individuals who wouldn't know a thing about existing in an oppressed community.

:applause: