by James Blake
When I asked Chris if there was anything he would have done differently, again he didn’t pause. “I would have recorded all of my conversations in the Vikings facility once things started getting ugly between me and my special teams coach, Mike Priefer. For whatever reason, people have a hard time believing other people can do wretched things, and are willing to bend over backwards to accommodate the notion of doubt if it means someone they think shares their religious ideals might not be living up to those ideals. Having incontrovertible physical proof would have made the subsequent lawsuit much easier to fight, but unfortunately at the time, I did not know things were going to end the way they did. Hindsight is twenty-twenty, after all.”
A Movement with Momentum
The issue of race and inequality in America played out over and over in the media and divided our nation in 2016. Shootings by police, bouts of discrimination, and divisive rhetoric and policy affect athletes in the same way they affect the wider society. Athletes using their platforms and their voices to create positive change often challenges people, fans, and the media because of the societal notion of the athlete and athletics. Many would like athletes to simply be entertainers. But we are not. We are human beings, we function within the wider society, and we are affected in many of the same ways. Since we have a greater reach and a louder, more meaningful voice, we want to use that voice on behalf of those who might not be as readily heard. However, as people in the public eye, we often find our actions to be misconstrued as ill informed or poorly executed.
The consequences of sports activism may be seen currently in the case of the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and his support of the Black Lives Matter movement. His peaceful protest has rippled far afield of the football stadium as it gained momentum, in sometimes surprising ways.
In August 2016, Steve Wyche from the NFL media saw Kaepernick sitting during the national anthem and asked him why. Kaepernick had done this for the previous two weeks, but nobody had noticed. His explanation was that he was protesting the oppression of black Americans. During the months that he continued not to stand for the anthem, America was experiencing what seemed like almost daily news reports and videos on social media of African American men, mostly unarmed men, being shot and killed by the police. In their wake, what started out as a fairly quiet demonstration gained substantial support and momentum. Since then the media attention and the subsequent backlash and support have also escalated.
Kaepernick sat during the anthem before a game against the Green Bay Packers at Levi’s Stadium in California in August 2016. During the postgame interview, he announced his reason for not standing was that he does not want to “show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”
After his announcement, the Niners coach, Chip Kelly, told reporters that Kaepernick’s decision not to stand during the national anthem is “his right as a citizen” and said “it’s not my right to tell him not to do something.”
Kaepernick said that he was aware of what he is doing and that he knew it would not sit well with a lot of people. He did not inform the club or anyone affiliated with the team of his intentions to protest during the national anthem. “This is not something that I am going to run by anybody. I am not looking for approval. I have to stand up for people that are oppressed. . . . If they take football away, my endorsements from me, I know that I stood up for what is right.”
Kaepernick thought about going public with his feelings for a while, but he wanted to better understand the situation. He discussed his concerns with his family and conferred with Dr. Harry Edwards, an activist and professor emeritus of sociology at the University of California. After months of witnessing some of the civil unrest in the United States, Kaepernick decided to be more active and involved in fighting for the rights of African Americans. Despite fan, media, and potential franchise backlash, he took a huge financial risk, even with a signed contract with the 49ers. After the 2016 season, the 49ers can cut him and not pay another cent of the deal he signed in 2014.
What is significant about his steady, peaceful approach is that it has legs. This is not a one-time incident that was talked about in a press conference and then forgotten. Since he began protesting every week during the games, his movement has gained momentum from athletes, fans, and the public supporting his cause, who are inspired by his dedication and steadfast approach.
Athletes across the country, professional, at the college level, and even in high schools, have joined Kaepernick in his protest. Four members of the Miami Dolphins kneeled on the ground during the anthem. After the game, the former running back Arian Foster said in an interview, “They say it’s not the time to do this. When is the time? It’s never the time in somebody else’s eye, because they’ll always feel like it’s good enough. And some people don’t.” Kaepernick has gained support from high schoolers in Nebraska, Kentucky, Virginia, Illinois, Minnesota, and Maryland. The San Francisco 49ers safety Eric Reid, the New York Liberty guard Brittany Boyd, the Phoenix Mercury players Mistie Bass and Kelsey Bone, and the entire WNBA Indiana Fever team have kneeled with him. The list of athletes has further grown to include the Seattle Reign star Megan Rapinoe, the Denver Broncos linebacker Brandon Markeith Marshall, the Kansas City Chiefs’ Marcus Peters, Martellus Bennett, and Devin McCourty of the New England Patriots, and it keeps growing.
Off the court, Kaepernick’s support has grown across the country. Last October, a crowd of supporters showed up outside New Era Field in Orchard Park, Buffalo, and kneeled during the national anthem before the 49ers played the Bills. Some held up fists and others held signs showing support for Kaepernick and Black Lives Matter.
In Sacramento the day after the Sacramento Kings’ NBA preseason game, the singer Leah Tysse took a knee as she sang the national anthem. She later explained why on social media. “I cannot idly stand by as black people are unlawfully profiled, harassed and killed by our law enforcement over and over and without a drop of accountability. The sad reality is, as a white American, I am bestowed a certain privilege in this nation that is not enjoyed by all people. Black families are having much different conversations with their children about how to interact with the police than white families.”
While president, Barack Obama said that Kaepernick had been drawing attention to “some real, legitimate issues” and “exercising his constitutional right.”
Kaepernick’s protest has inspired football players and other athletes to speak up about race relations and police violence, and to do so in such a way that causes reporters, fans, and team owners actually to pay attention. As noted in Slate,
According to Robert Klemko, more than 70 NFL players, including Kaepernick, Arian Foster, and Richard Sherman, are in a group text talking about “what Kaep started.” That’s not a gesture. That’s a movement. . . .
Just as important, Kaepernick has made his fellow Americans think about what they’re standing for, and why. It wasn’t typical for NFL players to stand for the national anthem until 2009—before then, it was customary for players to stay in the locker room as the anthem played. A 2015 congressional report revealed that the Department of Defense had paid $5.4 million to NFL teams between 2011 and 2014 to stage on-field patriotic ceremonies; the National Guard shelled out $6.7 million for similar displays between 2013 and 2015.6
The 49ers franchise announced it would donate $1 million to, in the words of the team’s chief executive, Jed York, “the cause of improving racial and economic inequality and fostering communication and collaboration between law enforcement and the communities they serve here in the Bay Area.” Kaepernick has pledged $1 million of his own money to address the same issues. “I have to help these people. I have to help these communities. It’s not right that they’re not put in a position to succeed or given those opportuni
ties to succeed.”
Reactions to Kaepernick were largely divided. Some applauded him for raising awareness about injustice and starting a nationwide discussion on race. Others saw his protest as unpatriotic, disrespectful to the flag and the country, and an offense not only to members of law enforcement but also to veterans and the military whose sacrifice and service the anthem honors.
Kaepernick has said many times that his “stance is not a criticism of the military and that he has great respect for the men and women who have fought for this country.” And many vets support the spirit of his protest. Veterans and military members tweeted their support for him during this protest under the hashtag #VeteransForKaepernick. One such veteran, Nate Boyer, a former staff sergeant and Green Beret, wrote in an open letter to Kaepernick published in the Army Times in August 2016:
I’m not judging you for standing up for what you believe in. It’s your inalienable right. What you are doing takes a lot of courage, and I’d be lying if I said I knew what it was like to walk around in your shoes. I’ve never had to deal with prejudice because of the color of my skin, and for me to say I can relate to what you’ve gone through is as ignorant as someone who’s never been in a combat zone telling me they understand what it’s like to go to war.
Even though my initial reaction to your protest was one of anger, I’m trying to listen to what you’re saying and why you’re doing it. When I told my mom about this article, she cautioned me that “the last thing our country needed right now was more hate.” As usual, she’s right.
There are already plenty of people fighting fire with fire, and it’s just not helping anyone or anything. So I’m just going to keep listening, with an open mind. I look forward to the day you’re inspired to once again stand during our national anthem. I’ll be standing right there next to you. Keep on trying . . . De Oppresso Liber.”7
Kaepernick invited Boyer to the 49ers September 1 game against the San Diego Chargers. And Boyer showed his support for the quarterback by standing next to him as the anthem played. Before the game, Boyer and Kaepernick talked for ninety minutes. A Twitter post featured a photo of the two men having what Boyer called a “good talk.” He added, “Let’s just keep moving forward. This is what America should be all about.”
With the controversy came greater attention. In the first week of the regular season, just a few days after his initial protest, Kaepernick was featured on the cover of Time magazine, and his jersey became the biggest seller in the NFL. He also increased his number of followers on social media by about 18,000 per day at the height of the coverage of his protest in August and September. Kaepernick has also put his money where his mouth is by donating a million dollars to community organizations as well as all the profits from his jersey sales. This will instantly make a big difference in the communities that receive those funds. The power of substantial financial support through contributions and donations like these is one way today’s athletes have as much power as, and perhaps even more than, sports activists in previous generations, because of today’s sometimes massive contracts and sponsorships. In the past, athletes were not making huge amounts of money, so the protest itself was their only way to incite change.
It is worth noting that although many veterans support Kaepernick, there are still many others who feel that although they may appreciate his cause, the way he is protesting is disrespectful. I have to wonder that if he were kneeling to protest the twenty-three suicides per day that veterans commit, would the way he is protesting then be acceptable? Would the protest be okay if he were advocating for change in the way veterans are treated by the government after they return home from tours of duty? When I’ve asked these questions, the answer is almost always that protesting for those reasons would be okay, even admirable. Based on this, it appears that many people have an issue with the subject of the protest more than the method Kaepernick is using to protest. However, in the media, his method of not standing for the anthem is what is so often used as the target of attacks, which seems disingenuous and unfair when it could be argued that the real issue, that what seems to be making people uncomfortable, is the idea that racial inequality still exists in our country.
I want to show support for Kaepernick, but I also should point out, in fairness, that I do not agree with everything he has done as part of his protest. Protest does not have to be disrespectful or derogatory. I do not condone wearing socks that comically portray police officers as pigs. I did not condone kneeling during the moment of silence for victims of 9/11. And I definitely did not appreciate his statement that he didn’t vote in the 2016 election. While voting is a freedom we are all afforded, and many have fought for, it is also our right not to vote. However, there were a few initiatives on the California ballot about capital punishment and police reform in 2016. If Kaepernick did not want to vote for the next president of the Unites States because he didn’t like the choices, I can understand that, but there are also local issues in an election, in which one vote can make a huge difference. Part of any protest is what can be accomplished by it with actual progress. Voting can be a powerful way to incite change.
From Protest to Progress
I found out about the excellent work the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality (RISE) is doing in educating collegiate and professional athletes to help inform and empower their activism when I was invited to participate in their focus group. Stephen Ross, the owner of the Miami Dolphins, founded RISE in 2015 in response to what he saw was a need for the sports community to come together to improve race relations.
RISE is an educational organization that recognizes the influential role that athletes have played throughout our country’s history, by promoting better race relations and bringing the country together through sports. It is a collaboration among and a network of every sports league in the country. The board is composed of the commissioners of every professional sport as well as the presidents and CEOs of every sports network. They seek to harness the unifying power of sports to improve race relations. They bring athletes and organizations together to develop solutions to improve race relations. And they work with professional and student athletes to utilize their leadership roles and their unifying ability to heal what is in many ways a divided nation right now.
Through RISE, student athletes, these future professional athletes, are learning how to be not only effective athletes but also leaders in their field. The group’s ten-week curriculum for high school and college student athletes teaches them about things like implicit bias and other ways in which race plays a role in our society, with an eye toward building leadership skills that can translate into being leaders on issues of equality and improving race relations.
RISE also collaborates with professional athletes who are already engaged with activism to empower them, provide information, connect them with others and with social justice organizations, and also help connect their activism to tangible change. For example, if there is an athlete who is interested in what is happening in Flint, Michigan, perhaps because he is from there or he has played in the Detroit market, RISE connects him or her with foundations they can be involved in so they can take their concerns and apply them in a way that is productive and effective.
In 2016, I spoke with Andrew MacIntosh, the national director of the leadership and education programs at RISE who helped create the group’s curriculum, to discuss its impetus, directives, and why it might be needed at this time in the country, and why RISE decided to focus on athletes.
“Overall, what we want to do with RISE is improve race relations. There are two main ways we try to do that. The first bucket of things or activities in which we are engaged is education. Leadership and education programming, and that’s the side of things that I primarily work on. We work to develop curriculum and engage with a variety of stakeholders at the high school level, the collegiate level, as well as community organizations to get our curriculum and materials imparted to coaches, student athletes, and others.
“We tra
in coaches to have those conversations with their student athletes. It is coaches who student athletes are already familiar with, and they are having conversations with their student athletes about identity, about trust, about implicit bias, about the history of race and sport, about using sport as a vehicle, about leadership, about influencing others.
“We understand that coaches already have such a great relationship with their athletes that they are probably in one of the best positions to have some of these difficult conversations. Obviously, conversations about race and race relations are particularly challenging, and they’ve been made I think even more challenging by the events that have taken place in the US over the last six months to the last year or so.
“At the high school level, at the collegiate level, it’s primarily about developing content, developing curriculum, and engaging with student athletes and their coaches to have some of these discussions. We do some work with nonprofits and community organizations, but primarily our educational programming is geared toward high school and college. There have been some middle schools. And we have worked as well with some professional organizations, within the NFL, and the NBA for instance.
“The second bucket of things we do is focused more on athletes who have already taken action or taken steps to become more active and vocal within this social justice space, as I would describe it. We are trying to help them to have greater impact and amplify their voices. That’s been done through a series of town halls that we’ve had with various partners, and also by engaging with these athletes one-on-one, through a series of focus groups that we have had and will continue to have with athletes. All are geared, again, toward finding out, what is it that you hope to achieve? How can we assist? Are there others who can assist you? How could we bring you together with people who are already doing work in this space?