The man who defied a Country by taking a stand, on one knee.
Sport is unique. It is platform for masses that both
emphasises and portrays social and economic issues and just sometimes, only
sometimes, humanitarian and racial ones too. Look no further than 2017’s
biggest sporting talking point – undoubtedly – Colin Kaepernick and his stance
against social injustice in America. GQ have, in ground-breaking fashion, this
month recognised Kaepernick as the ‘Citizen
of the Year 2017’ which gives you an idea of how big he has now become, his
new ‘fame’ off the field now trouncing his Footballing ability – and the
Superbowl XLVII
appearing Quarterback was some player too… More importantly, what does
this in turn now mean in the ongoing saga that is has at times been Colin
Kaepernick vs America?
Kaepernick
has galvanised a complex issue that before lay dormant for many. The media’s
(who were initially so unwilling to run with this story) portrayal of this
matter has been littered with contrasts and wildly opinionated fables, many
initially dismissing his protests as ‘disgracing the American flag’ until they
realised, gradually I may add, that this was not just one man’s struggle, it
was the struggle of so many, for so long. The struggle of a race in a country
that proclaimed itself as The Land of the
Free. It’s ironic that taking a knee has made many rise up against an issue
that was both accepted and swept so swiftly under the star spangled banner,
time and time again (see The 13th).
Bear with me, I’m going to go full throttle here and give
you a brief background in a rather controversially familiar 240
characters:
Former Superbowl QB
takes stand vs America with display during National Anthem. America divided by
realisation of racial injustice. Unity of players shunned by President and his
anger towards protests. Kaepernick is dropped.
Well, if that reads like a Trump Tweet it would only serve
to heighten the irony behind this whole narrative. Kaepernick’s year started
with him in his now infamous stance, being vilified by the media and fans alike
and has now ended with worldwide recognition on an, albeit unusual, scale.
This in turn leads to a conundrum – arguably America’s
favourite sport is commanded by Athletes from minority backgrounds – but the
response has been alarming from so many. As a response many other players
joined in, catalysing a movement that clearly has got under Donald Trump’s
skin. Rather than pushing the issue the protest is being ridiculed by the
politicians that can truly force change. Instead of taking note it seems they
would rather have the players seen and
not heard:
What attitude can the average American be expected to hold if
this is how their nationwide spokesperson influences them? Instead of open
talks to address key matters there is a playground response with childish insults
being thrown back at a silent, thought provoking response. Drawing parallels
with Ali who stood against the Vietnam War and Olympic Champion Jesse Owens who
was shunned by then President Franklin D Roosevelt (not to be seen shaking the
hand of a black man during his presidential campaign in 1936), Kaepernick has
become the afro-bearing, commanding figurehead for a war (to put it extremely
lightly) that has been ensuing since the birth of America itself.
So why is this cover star feature for Colin Kap such a big
deal? For some that run in the against
crowd it’s a tasteless insult to their military, however this could not be further
from the truth. This protest is about race and race only – the flag was brought
into the debate externally. Many do not know that it was Nate Boyer, an ex-Military
Serviceman and NFL Player who convinced Kaepernick to kneel during his protest as
a mark of respect. Coincidentally
this sub-plot has all but been removed by many media outlets and thus the whole
argument has become misconstrued. Or has it?
Kaepernick now has to convince a cynical, somewhat oppressed
audience of doubters that he is promoting a worthy cause, something that many
of us in the United Kingdom will find hard to believe. Such is the media
stranglehold of this story that the whole reasoning behind this has yet to be
properly articulated, save for this GQ article…
So what does GQ doing this really mean?
On one hand this shows recognition to a global audience of a
matter that had been pushed back firmly in America’s closet yet on the other
hand there’s a sinister edge to proclaiming Kaepernick as a pop-culture
figurehead, the movement loses its potency and instead becomes a trend.
Albeit for the right reasons, as an audience and in fact as
authors and storytellers of this movement we must ensure clarity that the issue
is not hidden behind the aforementioned matters. Trump’s campaign to belittle has
in fact become the story at hand for many in America and it’s distasteful that
some media outlets choose to run with this as the narrative.
I don’t think there is a more serious issue than racism, how
can we be expected to conquer and advance with issues such as gender equality
when we cannot even respect and tolerate the very minute differences in our own
human race? It seems petty that such a simple difference could divide so many,
but this is the world we now live in and the rhetoric of many influential
figures surrounding this is also worrying to say the least.
Don’t believe me? The media’s portrayal of Charles Manson’s
death has been sickeningly celebratory in comparison to the constant put down
of the hero of a movement that promotes racial equality in his own country.
Charles Manson has been lauded for taking lives whilst Kaepernick has been ridiculed
for taking a knee.
Irrelevant to my own opinion on this equality should be a
given not earned, I just hope there is an end in sight.
Happy Thanksgiving,
Kuzzy
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