Freedom Vs. Business
Colin Kaepernick is well within his rights to remain seated for the National Anthem, there is no question about that. Where the problem lies is this controversial stance has spawned media warfare. If anything, he has divided people further by expressing himself in this manner.
Kaepernick’s decision to sit during the National Anthem has created a lot of conversation between everyone from NFL executives to military servicemen and women.
The bottom line is that Kaepernick is an employee. While wearing a San Francisco 49ers uniform, he is representing a business. His decision to sit creates problems for the front office, making them question his priorities, and if Kaepernick’s priorities are not set on football, then he is a distraction and he has no place on the field. The main reason he is out there is to win football games.
There is a better way for him to create positive attention. He recently donated $1 million to racial equality. Along with that, he could have done some public speaking on the issue, which would have been less controversial.
ended up bringing more attention to him and his rights than the issue, which may or may not have been his end goal. Kaepernick has been out of the limelight for a long time. He’s a few years removed from taking his team to the Super Bowl as a rookie.
When it comes to being on the field, he represents something that’s bigger than him, and should act in a respectful manner.
Freedom Vs. Business
Colin Kaepernick, 49ers quarterback, has a right to be able to sit on the sidelines during the National Anthem. A nation full of hatred towards who you are is not a nation you should be proud of. The constant violent acts of racism shouldn’t be tolerated by the people discriminated against.
This is only becoming an issue because Kaepernick is a pro athlete. This is not the only time that someone has sat during the National Anthem.
People complain about celebrities doing nothing for the world and spreading the wrong message, but when someone takes a stand against an ongoing national issue, they are torn down for it.
U.S Women’s National Team Player Megan Rapinoe knelt during the national anthem as a nod to Kaepernick for the backlash from his silent protest. President Obama has even addressed his act of courage and said that “He’s exercising his Constitutional Right.” Immediately after he made his decision to sit, social media blew up with many different opinions on whether or not it was right for him to do so.
Nowhere in the Constitution does it say that you cannot be seated during the National Anthem. This was a powerful stance to take, but others may think that it created a separate issue than the one Kaepernick wanted to address.
As a professional, this may have not been a wise move. But, as a human, it was the right thing to do.