By noreply@blogger.com (Newsrust)
August 2016. This was the first time San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick refused to perform the national anthem. Nobody noticed. No one said anything, until a black reporter (which is why diversity matters) asked Kaepernick if his remaining seated during the patriotic song had any political significance. It made.
“I’m not going to stand up to show flag pride for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” Kapernick said. “To me, it’s bigger than football, and it would be selfish of me to look the other way. There are bodies on the streets and people getting paid time off and getting away with murder. .
Before Kaepernick gets down on his knees, Michael Brown come. Tamir rice come. Walter Scott, Alton Sterling and Philando Castile everything happened. Black America was still in the negotiation phase of mourning. We were ready to barter our way to humanity; literally dealing with systemic racism, shouting, “Am I not a person too? Black Lives Matter was never a rallying cry against humanity, it was always a petition for this. It was as much a statement as a question. It was less authoritarian and more rhetorical, because at the rate black blood was being shed, black America needed to know if our lives meant anything to the people who were killing us.
After the Kaepernick protest Stephon Clark has arrived. Breonna Taylor has arrived. And then George Floyd arrived.
On May 25, 2020, Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for about nine minutes and America couldn’t look away. Whatever excuses Americans might make for why Tamir Rice was shot and killed, or how many items Micheal Brown allegedly took from a corner store before his death, they couldn’t understand an officer kneeling on his neck of a man who literally begged for his life.
It’s amazing that America’s racist history can be summed up by two knees: one kneeling against injustice and the other literally on the neck of a black man until he dies.
The NFL, like much of corporate America, has been forced to make a decision: Admit Black Lives Matter or quickly find itself on the wrong side of history. Everyone gave in. They always do. But not because they cared. They just didn’t want to lose any money.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell posted an 81 second video filmed in the basement of his home in Bronxville, New York, essentially stating that Colin Kaepernick was right all along.
“We, the National Football League, condemn racism and the systematic oppression of black people,” Goodell said, in what can only be considered the greatest act of bullshit known to man. “We, the National Football League, admit that we were wrong for not listening to NFL players sooner and encourage everyone to speak up and protest peacefully. We, the National Football League, believe that black lives matter. »
Katelyn Mulcahy via Getty Images
The NFL has not only acknowledged systematic racism against black people. He launched a social justice program and pledged to $250 million over 10 years to fight it.
Yes, Goodell, the commissioner of the National Football League, the same league in which at least seven owners donated a million dollars to Donald Trump, demanded and committed the money to end systemic racism, then continued to systematically oppress Colin Kaepernick.
Of course, the league didn’t say it systematically oppressed Kaepernick. Teams kept coming up with excuses, like he didn’t want to play anymore or wouldn’t be a substitute, to explain why Kaepernick wasn’t the right fit.
On Monday, free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick, 34, single-handedly dispelled all the myths the National Football League has used to explain why the socially conscious former gunslinger is no longer in the league.
In a rare interview, Kaepernick, appearing on the popular “I AM AN ATHLETE” podcast hosted by Brandon Marshall, Chad Johnson and Pacman Jones, told former NFL players he still wanted to play.
“Absolutely,” Kapernick said. “It is without a doubt. As far as you’re concerned, what you’ve seen here is five years of training behind the scenes, to make sure I’m ready and stay ready at the highest level. You don’t do this if you don’t have a passion, [if] you don’t believe you’re going to find a way out of this terrain.
But what about the rumored Kaepernick not playing the backup quarterback job? Kaepernick claims that was never true.
“I know I have to find my way back,” Kaepernick said. “So, yes, if I have to come as a backup, that’s fine. But that’s not where I live. And when I prove that I’m a starter, I want to be able to walk the field as such. I just need this opportunity to walk through the door…. More than anything, we’re just looking for a chance to walk through a door. I’ll take care of the rest from there.
So if Kaepernick wants to play and is willing to play for the league minimum and serve as a backup, then why isn’t he in the NFL?
“No team brought me in for practice,” Kaepernick said. “No team brought me in for an opportunity. I had the only meeting with Seattle in 2017. And from that, [coach] Pete Carroll said, “Hey, he’s a starter, we’ve got a starter.” And things evolved from there. But they don’t have a starter yet.
And yet, there was no talk of Kaepernick finding a home in the NFL. There were no scheduled practices, no eyes on him to support a quarterback. Nothing.
But the NFL knows it wouldn’t be as socially conscious or connected without Kaepernick’s protest.
“We wouldn’t be where we are today without the work that Colin and other players have done,” a person familiar with the league said. says NFL.com. “That’s a key point here. We listened to our players. We needed to listen more, we needed to go faster. We heard them and started a social justice platform because of what Colin was protesting. Players have always been a vital piece of this effort and this campaign. It would be great to engage Colin on some of the work we do. He does really impactful work. To get him one way or another would be amazing for us. There’s a lot of work to do to get there. We’re certainly open and willing to do that.
Although whites have a less avid NFL fan base than blacks, the league would still prefer to cater to white fans who might be offended by having a socially conscious quarterback on the field.
And remember, the NFL and Kaepernick are now supposed to be on the same team. They both believe Black Lives Matter, they both believe that systemic racism not only exists but oppresses black people, and they are both committed to change.
“You’ve got ‘End Racism’ in the back of your end zone,” Kaepernick said. “You have ‘Black Lives Matter’ on your helmet. Everything I’ve said has to be consistent with what you say publicly. It’s a $16 billion business. When I took a knee for the first time, my jersey went to No. 1. When I made the deal with Nike, they went up in value by $6 billion. Six billion. With a ‘b.’ … So if you talk about the business side, it shows [it’s] beneficial. If you’re talking about the game side, enter [and] let me compete. You can rate me from there. The NFL is supposed to be a meritocracy. Come in, let me compete. If I’m not good enough, get rid of me. But let me come in and show you.
It won’t happen because the NFL continues to fumble the ball on the run. Often on purpose. The league is currently to be prosecuted by former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores, who in February accused the league and its 32 teams of staging interviews and discriminating against black coaches. Flores has since been hired as an assistant coach by Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin (one of three black NFL head coaches) and the league is still trying to send in its best lawyers to quell the idea that the NFL is not exactly what it is. seems to be.
Meanwhile, Kaepernick waits here, hoping someone will try to prove he can still play. And it’s funny, because after all these years the NFL is looking more and more like the most racist sport in America, especially now that NASCAR has more Black Race Car Owners that the NFL has black head coaches.
But please, NFL, tell me more about systemic racism and how serious it is.
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Category: Opinion, Other
