Originally Posted by
DemonGeminiX
Long story short, Colin Kaepernick started the national anthem protests by black sports players. It's become a political and social flash point. He's a villain in some eyes and a hero in others (who are misguided).
Now how 'bout a few paragraphs?
2012, Colin Kaepernick had a great first year at starting quarterback (QB) for the San Francisco 49ers. It was his second season (he played backup QB as a drafted rookie in 2011) and he got the starting gig because the starting QB Alex Smith went down with an injury. Anyway, he was the guy to watch. He was exciting and awesome. They almost got a Superbowl championship in his first year under center. They lost to the Baltimore Ravens. 2013, the 49ers had a pretty good showing in his second year as starting QB. They lost the NFC championship to the Seahawks. However, that was in his second year as starting QB. Past history. He fizzled out afterwards and was subsequently benched. In 2016, all of a sudden, out of the blue, he's noticed sitting during the national anthem. It's played before the start of all sporting events here in the US, and it's customary to stand for it, no matter where or who you are. I've never been out of the US, but I imagine it's the same all over the world with other countries and their national anthem. Anyway, a lot of people complain as it's a sign of disrespect to our flag and nation and to the men and women that have fought and paid the ultimate price for it. The media picks it up and it becomes a national talking point. He claims he's protesting police brutality and the so called "murder" of black Americans by law enforcement, which is a whole other issue that we can go on and on about (nope, 99% of the time, use of force was found to be justified). The protest and liberal media coverage of police shootings of black Americans have ultimately led to the Black Lives Matter movement. Again, a whole other topic. No one really knows what's going on in Colin Kaepernick's head, whether he's sincere or just digging for attention because he's not performing like he used to. The majority of other black players in the league and the media are running with it. So now a whole mess of players are disrespecting our nation and our flag and the men and women that have served in our armed forces, by kneeling for the national anthem or staying in the locker room. Since Colin Kaepernick's QB stats have dropped severely since his breakout season, no NFL team in their right mind will sign him, not with him sucking so hard at the position and all the baggage that he brings to the table. He's been an unsigned free agent since before the start of the 2017 season. Other players and the media are decrying this as racism, the fact that he can't get a job as a quarterback anymore. Now Nike has entered the social justice foray by giving Kaepernick a multi-million dollar endorsement deal, and talking shit about "his sacrifice" and "how he's suffered". The guy lived the American Dream and benefited from it, he's rolling in cash that he doesn't deserve, and it's a slap in the face of those that served our country, and a slap in the face of every hard-working American man and women that are even remotely patriotic. So yeah, fuck Nike. And fuck Colin Kaepernick. He's an ass.
Anyway, since the national anthem protests started up, there's a whole mess of people that have taken sides on the debate. Factions have developed and are basically at war with one another, figuratively speaking. Ultimately, the NFL's viewership has gone down, because football fans don't really care and don't tune in to the games to watch a protest. I know I'm not really watching anymore either. I'm not buying Nike sneakers anymore either. And I used to be a Nike kind of guy. I guess it's obvious where I stand on the whole shebang. Sorry if my summary comes across as a little biased and a little jumbled. I'm sure you get the general gist of it.
One other detail that you may be interested in: Colin Kaepernick had a multiyear contract with the 49ers and he opted out of it before the 2017 season. Technically speaking, it's his own fault he doesn't have a job.