Colin Kaepernick's Unsportsmanlike Conduct
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick signed a six-year, $114,000,000 contract, as well as a $12,328,766 signing bonus, $61,000,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $19,000,000. On Friday, he refused to stand for the National Anthem before the preseason game, later declaring he is "not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color." He neglected to mention that the vast majority of murdered people of color are killed by other people of color. He also neglected to mention that he was adopted by white parents.
Naturally, the 49ers took the position that it's Kaepernick's "right" to not stand for the anthem. "The national anthem is and always will be a special part of the pre-game ceremony," the team said in a statement. "It is an opportunity to honor our country and reflect on the great liberties we are afforded as its citizens. In respecting such American principles as freedom of religion and freedom of expression, we recognize the right of an individual to choose and participate, or not, in our celebration of the national anthem."
Of course they're right as far as it goes — no one said it wasn't Kaepernick's "right" to be an idiot. But that doesn't make him any less an idiot to show such contempt for the nation that made him a wealthy man.
Also, just a reminder: Kaepernick plays for the same NFL that doesn't mind when Rams players take the field in the "hands up, don't shoot" posture, but refuses to let the Dallas Cowboys wear a helmet sticker showing solidarity with Dallas police.
People will ask me why I no longer follow football, knowing I enjoyed playing it and following it as a young man. This just caps it. When I was young, the league maintained standards. If you didn't want to follow the law, stay out of trouble, groom yourself appropriately, you could go do something else for a living. And this was before ALL of the players were paid like kings (some even more). Now, half of the league appears to be thugs. A good portion every year are involved in violent crimes. The league is more concerned about appealing to moral deviants then supporting police. And some mental midget slams the country where he lives that's freedom enables him to be paid a ridiculous sum FOR PLAYING A FREAKING GAME. If he had to go out and get a real job he'd be lucky to earn 1/2000ths of his new contract.
He shouldn't be standing for the national anthem - he should be on his knees thanking God that he lives in this country right now.
Kaepernick is free to express his views. With all freedoms come responsibilities - and consequences. The NFL, like any employer, needs to understand that the actions of their employees have consequences as well. The viewing public are their customers. If I did something to thorough anger so many of my company's customers they would boot me so far and fast my head would spin. If the NFL doesn't start cleaning shop, they shouldn't be surprised when they continue to lose viewership (customers), by the thousands...
