It appears that Colin Kaepernick will not have a job at the start of the NFL regular season. Now, the rubber is hitting the road and karma is clumsily swirling around the situation like a drunk moth around a flame.
No doubt, worshippers of the NFL brand chuckled when the idea of a boycott began circulating. Now, as the NFL trudges along with incredulous ignorance, a protest is looming.
The Shadow League on Twitter
Browns’ Seth DeValve, first White NFL player to kneel, speaks candidly: https://t.co/nnR3HDLw9F
Though the protest is in response to what is apparently a blackballing of Kaepernick for his protest against police brutality and the oppression of people of color in America, it could just as easily be about any three or four NFL-related issues.
It could be about how they lied about CTE. How about owners knowingly employing individuals who were accused of heinous crimes against women and children? What about the way were inundated with ads about medication for erectile dysfunction, or the way the league uses sex to sell alcohol every time we sit down to watch the game. Could it be about the NFL itself being a pimp and a drug pusher of the highest order?
Last year, there were threats of boycott heard across New England Patriots Nation in support of Tom Brady. However, that petition amassed few signatures.
The so-called #NoKaepernickNoNFL petition currently has over 170,000 signatures. In addition, not only has the NAACP in the state of Georgia agreed upon a boycott of the Atlanta Falcons, but acclaimed director Spike Lee is supporting a planned rally at NFL headquarters on Wednesday, August 23rd.
As the team owners dig in their heels, insisting that there is no blackballing of Kaep, while simultaneously employing people who are noticeably less capable at quarterback, people have decided that enough is enough.
NFL Blackout – Time to take a stand #blackout
It’s time to Blackout the NFL. They have shown that they do not care about people of color and we must stop spending our time, efforts, energy, money and resources where it is clear that we do not have a voice… Support the movement. Share this video with #blackout.
Social media can be misleading if taken for face value. However, with hundreds of thousands of people swearing their allegiance to Kaeps protest and his right to employment, its only inevitable that at least some of them will carry through with these threats.
There were some on the political right who parroted some claims that the league’s declining ratings are due to Kaepernick taking a knee last year during the playing of the national anthem, along with the related protests of other black players who supported him.
The NFL is boldly and stubbornly going about its business as if there are going to be no repercussions. Sure, there have been many rallies and protest actions threatened against the National Football League over the years, with most of them only amounting to a wasted breath and ink. But all preliminary indicators allude to the circumstances being a little bit different this time around.
With the turmoil, hatred and death that occurred in Charlottesville, Virginia under the guise of free speech, and the accelerated pace with which monuments to Confederate insurgents and traitors are being removed, I’m wondering if the NFL realizes how bad a P.R. loss this is about to be.
Even police officers are aligning with Kaepernick on his one. What will it take for the NFL to get on the right side of history?
Right now, players are siding with and showing support for those who are engaging in open protest against police brutality and oppression. Chris Long has been showing support since last year while Justin Britt recently showed support for the movement and his teammate Michael Bennett.
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. On Monday night, a total of 12 Cleveland Browns players took a knee during the national anthem.
This, despite head coach Hue Jackson advising his players against protesting. Also, there were members of the NYPD showing solidarity with Kaep’s protest.
The Shadow League on Twitter
Black and White Cleveland Browns players kneel during National Anthem: https://t.co/EnkmrsOef8
The times are calling for togetherness, conscientiousness and love for fellow man. Though it seemed to take forever, white players are stepping forward to support their brothers of the grid iron by shining light on a centuries-old scourge. And, quite frankly, it was past due.
Politics, social issues and sports have always held an intrinsic relationship, one thats been magnified during Donald Trumps presidency.
The NFL better wake up and start to get some get-right. This movement is growing because people see through how ridiculous it is that Kaepernick is being blackballed. And the more the league stubbornmy continues to have an unofficial moratorium on signing him to a contract that he unequivocally deserves, the more they actually bring attention to the issues that he has brought to the table.
So in trying to silence him, the NFL actually gave him a bigger and more profound voice. The calls for a blackout will only increase. It’s time that the NFL woke up and finally did the right thing.
Colin Kaepernick Blackball Quotes Vol. 2
