This year NFL means No Football League. The 2017 NFL Season will be a year of protest for 17Weeks.com. The Colin Kaepernick protest is well known by now and have divided the NFL fan base. A season ago Kaepernick to a knee to protest the unjust treatment of African Americans by law enforcement around the country. Kaepernick was not protesting the national anthemn. His protests serves as a reminder of the recent cases of the murder of Tamir Rice, Eric Gardner, Sandra Bland and others at the hands of the police.
Kaepernick explained, “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.” Following the police shootings of Terence Crutcher and Keith Lamont Scott, Kaepernick commented, “this is a perfect example of what this is about.”
As the days go by it becomes increasingly more difficult to object to his protest and more join his protest. The recent confession of the police officer completely validates Colin’s protest and the voices in the black community calling for justice. The officer said, “Remember, we only kill black people. Yeah we only kill black people, right? All the videos that you’ve seen, have you seen black people get killed?” Here’s a video worth watching.
In recent days, many have joined the protest and more notable figures argue for his return to the NFL. Current NFL players have taken a knee or raised a fist. Retired players have spoken up in support of Colin. Kaepernick’s protest must be seen in the context of the Civil Rights and Black Power movements. He has joined his predecessors, Megan Rapinoe, Muhammad Ali, But for some the arguments for protest will never be accepted nor understood. It was reported some NFL executives called him a traitor.
For the record, I stand with Kap.
Published: 9/3/2017
