On August 14, 2016, during the first NFL preseason game, one particular player decided to stop standing for the National Anthem. The professional athlete was Colin Kaepernick, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback. This was a protest following the slaying of an unarmed, black teen named Trayvon Martin. He was killed by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch coordinator, who viewed Martin as a threat for his apparent image. This was a major sign of racial profiling and violence that is a reoccurring issue in our nation. Too frequently, unarmed African Americans are killed by police officers in disproportionate numbers. Nonetheless, most of these unfortunate killings have included no repercussions.
Colin Kaepernick firstly went unnoticed the first two weeks of the preseason, and then it sparked a movement. In week three of the preseason, on August 26, 2016, he continued to sit out during the National Anthem and the uproar began. This turned into a prolonged debate about privilege, race, and freedom of expression. Following that game against the Green Bay Packers, Kaepernick met and spoke with NFL Media about his recent happenings with protests that are going around the league. “I am not going to stand up 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.” Despite his efforts to show respect while engaging in peaceful protesting, Kaepernick quickly became the most controversial football player to ever play the game.
Kneeling during the National Anthem has now been taken out of context and exaggerated. President Donald Trump has slammed NFL players since the protest began, making remarkable comments offline and online. Trump even advocated that these players that are protesting should be kicked out of the professional league, and banned from the country we live in. He simply does not see these protests as peaceful, and does not see it as a freedom of speech. Many people view the kneeling, that Kaepernick started, as disrespect to our troops. The media has even adopted this ideology. However, this protest that Kaepernick started had absolutely nothing to do with the military. This also does not reflect his feelings toward the military either. Kaepernick started this protest by specifically directing attention towards the social injustice happening around our country with African Americans. This situation has to do much more with what he is protesting, rather than how he is protesting.
Critics say Kaepernick’s protest is seen as unpatriotic, and that all sports should leave out politics. Although, “activism in athletics has been an enduring feature of sports in the United States, where black athletes have used sports events to challenge racial discrimination. The athletic arena is a proven site of political contestation. Black athletes have maintained a very privileged position in black communities due to the significance of sports, and some have been transformative figures who used their prowess in the sports arena to challenge notions about race relations and black stereotypes” (Winfield, 2017).
Colin Kaepernick & many other players around the National Football League are standing up by kneeling down. This protest has received the most press and controversy, and it comes as no surprise at the actions and protest of Kaepernick and others are being portrayed negatively, even with it being a very peaceful protest. Kneeling for the national anthem is itself of act of appreciation for our service men & women, who give these players the freedom to speak up and act against civil injustices, and also to use their superior and unique platform to give a voice to the silent minority.
References
Hall, E. (2017). Policy point-counterpoint: Do African American athletes have an obligation to fight against racial injustice?. International Social Science Review (Online), 93(2), 0_1,1-9.
KXTV Staff. (2017, September 26). A timeline of NFL national anthem protests. Retrieved from https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/a-timeline-of-nfl-national-anthem-protests/103-478582333
Word count: 623
Colin Kaepernick firstly went unnoticed the first two weeks of the preseason, and then it sparked a movement. In week three of the preseason, on August 26, 2016, he continued to sit out during the National Anthem and the uproar began. This turned into a prolonged debate about privilege, race, and freedom of expression. Following that game against the Green Bay Packers, Kaepernick met and spoke with NFL Media about his recent happenings with protests that are going around the league. “I am not going to stand up 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.” Despite his efforts to show respect while engaging in peaceful protesting, Kaepernick quickly became the most controversial football player to ever play the game.
Kneeling during the National Anthem has now been taken out of context and exaggerated. President Donald Trump has slammed NFL players since the protest began, making remarkable comments offline and online. Trump even advocated that these players that are protesting should be kicked out of the professional league, and banned from the country we live in. He simply does not see these protests as peaceful, and does not see it as a freedom of speech. Many people view the kneeling, that Kaepernick started, as disrespect to our troops. The media has even adopted this ideology. However, this protest that Kaepernick started had absolutely nothing to do with the military. This also does not reflect his feelings toward the military either. Kaepernick started this protest by specifically directing attention towards the social injustice happening around our country with African Americans. This situation has to do much more with what he is protesting, rather than how he is protesting.
Critics say Kaepernick’s protest is seen as unpatriotic, and that all sports should leave out politics. Although, “activism in athletics has been an enduring feature of sports in the United States, where black athletes have used sports events to challenge racial discrimination. The athletic arena is a proven site of political contestation. Black athletes have maintained a very privileged position in black communities due to the significance of sports, and some have been transformative figures who used their prowess in the sports arena to challenge notions about race relations and black stereotypes” (Winfield, 2017).
Colin Kaepernick & many other players around the National Football League are standing up by kneeling down. This protest has received the most press and controversy, and it comes as no surprise at the actions and protest of Kaepernick and others are being portrayed negatively, even with it being a very peaceful protest. Kneeling for the national anthem is itself of act of appreciation for our service men & women, who give these players the freedom to speak up and act against civil injustices, and also to use their superior and unique platform to give a voice to the silent minority.
References
Hall, E. (2017). Policy point-counterpoint: Do African American athletes have an obligation to fight against racial injustice?. International Social Science Review (Online), 93(2), 0_1,1-9.
KXTV Staff. (2017, September 26). A timeline of NFL national anthem protests. Retrieved from https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/a-timeline-of-nfl-national-anthem-protests/103-478582333
Word count: 623
Something of a mixed bag here, Ryan.
ReplyDeleteOn the upside, Kap's protest clearly fits with your group's theme week on race and media.
On the downside, factual errors, citation issues, and less than judicious use of quotes undermines your efforts.
For instance, Martin was killed in 2012. Kap doesn't take a knee until 2016. You give the impression this was a precipitating event, but the protest was less about a single incident than the ongoing struggle against police brutality directed at communities of color.
Also, you suggest there have been "no repercussions" for these killings. You need to clarify. There are few repercussions for the assailants. For victims, families and whole communities, there are all kinds of consequences.
Likewise, you suggest Martin was killed "for his apparent image." I get it. But this really could be stated much more clearly. Later on you suggest that media have "adopted this ideology." Again, this isn't the most accurate word choice.
Then there's your use of quotations. You've got two lengthy quotes, the first from Kap isn't cited. The second lists Winfield as the author, but I don't see this in your reference list. There you mention Hall's work. Which is it?
More substantively, you use that second long quote without any comment or follow up. Best if you explain the significance of this quote, or better yet, use it to illuminate the case you are discussing here.
Furthermore, your opinion on this "controversy" is clear. But we're looking for analysis here. That is, what does this incident suggest about the role media plays in perpetuating/challenging racial inequality?
Finally, I appreciate your use of labels. But you've got quite the laundry list here ;)
Better if you limit your keywords, or labels, to 4-5 words or phrases.
In short, this is a good start, but I want you to "up your game" in the coming weeks.
26/30 pts.
Ryan,
ReplyDeleteI liked how you tied Trump's influence into this movement. Though very opinionated, I do like how you backed up your opinions with the critics opinions as well. It provides a nice counter argument effect.
Ryan,
ReplyDeleteThe issue you have highlighted in your post was one that caught major attention in the media (for the right and wrong things). I like the narrative in your 2nd paragraph where you progress how Colin Kaepernick begins his protest and elaborate your point through his personal quote. During certain parts of your post, I wished you were more specific. For example, in your third paragraph when you state "Many people view the kneeling, that Kaepernick started, as disrespect to our troops. The media has even adopted this ideology." When you reference "the media" are you talking about all media outlets, liberal outlets, conservative outlets, moderate outlets etc. Making large assumptions without specifying who you are targeting can become confusing for the reader. Overall, good post!