When Racial Injustice Inequality and Football Collide

Football is a game loved by millions across this nation and the foundation of many Sundays in American homes. The excitement of watching your team play whether it be a regular season game or the Super Bowl never dies. For many it is an escape, a chance to step away from daily life and to sit down for a few hours with friends to watch their team play. In the fall of 2015, the top 12 shows of the entire season were NFL games with the Republican primary debate coming in at number thirteen. With these statistics, it is not hard to see the reach that this game has across the nation and the world. Racial injustice and football have not always always been kept separate by the players, and coaches of the thirty-two teams that make up the National Football League. Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony and Serena Williams are just a few athletic stars who have used their respective platforms to speak out on certain issues but no one had ever used the American flag to try and make a point. That was until Colin Kaepernick refused to stand when the National anthem was played at the start of a game on September 1st, 2016.

After the game, during the postgame press conference Kaepernick said, “The message is that we have a lot of issues in this country that we need to deal with. We have a lot of people that are oppressed, we have a lot of people that aren’t treated equally, aren't given equal opportunities.” Immediately after this initial stand he received backlash from those who believed he should not wear the uniform of his team while protesting, but also received support from people who thought he was in the right for taking a stand. Either way, Kaepernick was successful in raising awareness for a cause that he cares about as many NFL players followed in his footsteps and refused to stand.

All of this controversy happened when Kaepernick was signed to the San Francisco 49er’s. His contract expired and he is now a free agent in the NFL and no teams have signed him. Joe Thomas, a player for the Cleveland Browns said, “Teams don't currently view him as a starting QB, and NFL teams accept ZERO distractions from their backup QBs.” This led me to start thinking about the repercussions of speaking out on one of the largest stages. Will Kaepernick's’ football career come to an end as he is seen as a distraction or will a team take him on for his talent? No one knows.