I was commenting on the other thread, but then my comment grew out of hand and over the character limit for a response. Actually, I'll add some links since I'm going in on it I guess.These are my takes on the various topics:
Nike made a business decision - they signed Kaepernick for publicity. Imagine thinking a corporation like Nike would do anything for social justice. I don't have evidence for this take, but c'mon now.
Kaepernick sacrificed his NFL career in favor of protesting police brutality against African Americans. He had the talent level to be signed as a quarterback. He was not given a workout by any of the 32 NFL teams as a free agent. Seattle called him to bring him in, but only on the grounds that he stopped kneeling. He told them he would not, and here we are.
Kaepernick is making more money now than if he had not protested and finished his NFL career. He would have been paid as a back-up quarterback and probably could have played for 2-5 more years. I assume his Nike deal is much larger, plus he can leverage this for merchandise sales and speaking deals. If you want to use this to dispute the idea that he "sacrificed everything," go ahead. I think that's a fair point to make.
If you disagree with Kaepernick's cause, I think you need to study racial injustice in America more closely. If the police brutality doesn't do it for you, I would suggest to you to research injustice in the prison system & the War on Drugs or the lingering repercussions of slavery & historic injustice to African Americans leading to inequality in generational economics. I'm willing to share resources on this subject - I think it's very crucial for Americans and everyone to understand just how deep some of these cuts are.
- https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/06/the-case-for-reparations/361631/ The Case For Reparations
- https://www.netflix.com/title/80091741 13th: Documentary on Criminalization of African Americans
If you disagree with Kaepernick's method of protest, I can understand, but please don't misrepresent the protest itself. I think all of the NFL players made it very, very clear that they were not protesting America, or the military, or the flag itself. I certainly don't understand the take that standing for the national anthem at a sporting event is some sort of sacred rite. Players weren't even on the field for it until 2009. Protests are supposed to cause discomfort. A comfortable protest is not an effective one, and it certainly is Colin's right to demonstrate. It was also the NFL's prerogative to not give him a job. I think that's what gives Colin's story some credibility - he did know he would face repercussions and he chose to do it anyway. I don't think you can say he knew he would get this big endorsement deal out of it.
- https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/25/opinion/colin-kaepernick-football-protests.html Eric Reid on the Protests
That's just my takes. Thank you and have a nice day.
