Taking a stand

There usually aren’t a lot of preseason exhibition games that draw a lot of attention. Sure, we get excited about a new season and watching those great players do their thing and of course the hits that make us cringe with wonder and awe.

But last weekend, San Francisco 49er Colin Kaepernick remained seated throughout the playing of the national anthem.

During the next few days there were tons of questions being asked of the 49ers and the NFL. Is what he did acceptable behavior?

The answers were interesting. From “that isn’t a requirement to stand during the anthem” to we “respect his right to not stand”.

When Kaepernick was asked he stated that he would not stand for the anthem until things changed in the United States. He talked about cops killing minorities and that he would no longer respect the American flag unless he saw real change in America.

Now he never mentioned minority police officers that were ambushed and gunned down or minorities that were gunned down by other minorities.

Is there a problem in this country?

There is when it is magnified by the use of cell phone video and only bits and pieces of an incident are shown on the evening news. And yes, things can change for the better but not overnight.

It is a shame that CK didn’t use a different tactic that would have had more positive results. How about reaching out to the law enforcement community and the inner city areas that have had problems in the past? There needs to be that trust with both segments of the community. Someone with the credibility of CK would have provided important unification.

Unfortunately by digging up old wounds he makes matters worse rather than improving them. And if he is trying to prove a point why disrespect the American flag?

This symbol of freedom of the greatest country in the world is a treasure to a lot of people that served and sacrificed a great deal to protect this country and that flag.

He has had support from teammates stating that he has that right to sit while the anthem is being played even though many said they wouldn’t sit. But others, including former teammates have said there is a reason why he has that right.

It is a freedom of speech or expression that is protected every day by those members of the military that serve. Some of those that are speaking out are former members of the military or have family that are serving now. They are outspoken on this topic and are not happy with his protest.

I see the playing of the national anthem as the greatest display of patriotism this country has going for it. It still brings a real feeling of love for this country. It doesn’t matter how many times it is played it still is the greatest tradition we have.

A couple of weeks ago in Rio the USA Olympics team won a ton of gold medals and before each one was presented the Star Spangled Banner was played and each one of those athletes had a great pride in competing for the USA team.

Which to me proves the point that no matter how great an athlete is they are still part of a much greater team and that team is the USA.

It will be interesting in the next week what the crowd reaction will be when he enters the game. If he is on the road in a military community it might not be very favorable. But it certainly should be understandable that don’t you think?

If a player takes a stand by sitting out the playing of our national anthem then the real focus can be on the player and not the cause.

How long Kaepernick will keep up this protest may depend on if he makes the 49er roster.