The United States of America is going through a time of social turmoil due to the riots and protests originated because of George Floyd's murder by Minnesota State Police. These violent times are being viewed in Europe as positive, as one of the first times in this 21st century in which American citizens are standing for what they believe and trying to make a change in the lives of the African American community. However, people in the United States are suffering these riots first hand, and surely they miss the times when the biggest protestor against police brutality kneeled during the American anthem.
Back in 2016, Colin Kaepernick was one of the most hated men in the US, not only by the white community, but also some African Americans who were descendants of war veterans criticized the quarterback for taking a knee during the Star Spangled Banner, stating that it only disrespected those who died protecting their country. Others defended the 49ers player, and many other football stars followed his example, taking a knee before their games. This caused many consequences on the lives of those football players, but none were greater than the suffered by Kaepernick, who ultimately lost his career and has been unemployed since that 2016/2017 season.
Nevertheless, the situation in 2020 is far worse than it was in 2016, and George Floyd's death shows that the form of peaceful protest performed by Kaepernick was not that bad after all, and it actually saved lives, because today's riots are causing deaths among the protestors. Actually, these past few days Twitter was full with videos of Boston Celtics' player Jaylen Brown as part of the protests in Atlanta, Georgia, bearing a megaphone, which compared to the actions performed by Kaepernick is more violent and by that time it would have been heavily criticized. The difference is that back then, nobody believed police brutality was as bad as Kaepernick depicted, it was not a real problem for many Americans, but four years later the situation is the same, and another unarmed black citizen was killed by the cruel actions of a police officer.
As Sports Illustrated suggests, Colin Kaepernick's protest would not be seen as that bad today as it was in 2016. If those images of himself and other teammates kneeling on the sidelines had been produced in 2020, it is highly probable that he would not have lost his football career because of his actions. The NFL commissioner Roger Goodell released a statement condemning the actions of the police officer who killed George Floyd, which was a good action, but it came four years late. When Kaepernick began his protest, nobody in the higher ranks of the NFL supported him, and decided to go along with Trump's request of never to hire him, giving their back to one of the most popular athletes of the time. Actually, as that article in Sports Illustrated tells, Kaepernick's jersey was the best sold one after he started kneeling.
Yes, it is good that the National Football League is now condemning these actions and calling for justice, but it could have come much sooner. For instance, Nike made Kaepernick the center of their campaign 'Believe in Something, Even if it Means Sacrificing Everything' right at the middle of the crisis with the former 49ers star, and although it may be seen as a marketing campaign, it was also a risky move. Many white supremacists began burning their Nike shoes, calling out for a boycott on the American sports brand, but it turned out wrong, as those who supported the cause actually began buying more Nike shoes, making its stock value increase.
The question that remains to be answered is if we are ever going to see Kaepernick wearing a football uniform ever again. It is difficult to say. For starters, he has been out of the league for three years now, so his physical condition and ability to play the game can arise big doubts. On the other hand, the team that gives the former 49ers a chance will have a huge marketing impact, and Trump's threats would not be as frightening as they were in 2016, and if he proves to still be one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL, his signing would be the perfect move for any franchise (maybe even better in the case of the Minnesota Vikings because it is the epicenter of the protests). One thing is clear, Colin Kaepernick deserved better, and Americans who gave that huge importance on the fact that the anthem is sacred because it pays respect to the ones who lost their lives in service, probably prefer now to see athletes kneeling again during the anthem than streets burning.
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