If your favorite NBA player pulled a Kaepernick?

[Warspite]

Since when is mistreating people the correct way to protest mistreatment of people?


Spitting on the faces of African American soldiers and on the graves of veterans who ended slavery (and segregation) here and in over 50 other countries doesn't seem like the best way to complain about people being treated unfairly.

The World owes a debt to the American Soldier that it can never pay. It is his/her sacrifice that allows people whatever freedom they possess. They are ones who have fought true racism, sexism and bigotry and continue to fight the forces of darkness every day. Kap and his supporters have every right to be upset and to protest but he is protesting against the good guys.

[Johnny Bball]

And when that change doesn't happen and the nfl runs him out of the league for not obeying what they will mandate... Then what? What a waste.

[thejigglyroom]

And when that change doesn't happen and the nfl runs him out of the league for not obeying what they will mandate... Then what? What a waste.

The NFL came out and said that you don't have to stand at attention for the national anthem. Why exactly would they run him out the league? I think his poor play will cause him to be "run out of the league" not the fact that he's protesting this.

[Shock Defeat]

Also, people who support Kaepernick should be clear about something. Is it that you support him regardless of his political stance or you support him because his stance aligns with your own? That is, what if Kaepernick put on an "All Lives Matter" pre-game T-shirt and walked around the bench? It's easy to support someone when you agree with them, but much more difficult to do so if you hate their beliefs.

For me, either way politics and sports should not mix in this type of a way. Your job is to be a player and contribute to the team's success and things that go against this should (in general) be looked negatively on you as a teammate.

Some things are more important than sports. This would be one of them.

[justicewinslow]

Nothing more disrespectful you can do to your country than what Kap is doing. That deserves a 2 game suspension in my books so he can take time off and actually learn what is going on in America and not just read CNN. He is pulling off an absolute tragedy

Sent from my SGH-I747M using RealGM mobile app

[mtron929]

Also, people who support Kaepernick should be clear about something. Is it that you support him regardless of his political stance or you support him because his stance aligns with your own? That is, what if Kaepernick put on an "All Lives Matter" pre-game T-shirt and walked around the bench? It's easy to support someone when you agree with them, but much more difficult to do so if you hate their beliefs.

For me, either way politics and sports should not mix in this type of a way. Your job is to be a player and contribute to the team's success and things that go against this should (in general) be looked negatively on you as a teammate.

Some things are more important than sports. This would be one of them.

Is this more important than sports because you agree with him? What if you disagreed with him?

[JohnnyNightrain]

It is absolutely mind-blowningly insane how many racist people post on a basketball message board.

"Black people aren't oppressed."

"Slavery was 400 years ago; get over it."

"He has money... racism isn't a problem."

"He needs to learn what is really going on."

Then again, there are people on this board who think guns are a-okay because 450 elderly people per year die from falling out of bed.

But, really, I assume most of these people are just privileged white kids and truly have no concept of what oppression or institutionalized racism actually is and have no life experience, and that's just sad. You're part of the problem.

[NBARocks]

"The love of one's country is commendable. But why should love stop at the border?"

"Each nation feels superior to other nations. That breeds patriotism, and wars."

"To me, it seems a dreadful indignity to have a soul controlled by geography."

"You'll never have a quiet world till you knock patriotism out of the human race."

Patriotism and nationalism are a scourge on humanity. I'd celebrate the day when people are ostracized for these barbaric ideals. It fuels prejudice, racism, and wars. So what if he didn't stand up for the anthem? Did babies die? For so small a thing people are taught to hate. Flag and country, right or wrong. bull.

The brotherhood of man is so much greater. It transcends the sovereignty of nations. We are one world, not a collection of nations. And until we recognize that all this divisiveness is caused by patriotism and nationalism, we'll never have peace.

[Frank Dux]

He's an abysmal quarterback who knows he's about to be cut. He's just playing the "I was cut for standing by my beliefs" card, and hoping to get social media folks riled up and on his side.

Kaepernick has always been a douche, and is just looking for attention.

[Shock Defeat]

Also, people who support Kaepernick should be clear about something. Is it that you support him regardless of his political stance or you support him because his stance aligns with your own? That is, what if Kaepernick put on an "All Lives Matter" pre-game T-shirt and walked around the bench? It's easy to support someone when you agree with them, but much more difficult to do so if you hate their beliefs.

For me, either way politics and sports should not mix in this type of a way. Your job is to be a player and contribute to the team's success and things that go against this should (in general) be looked negatively on you as a teammate.

Some things are more important than sports. This would be one of them.

Is this more important than sports because you agree with him? What if you disagreed with him?

I think wanting less innocent lives to be killed is a universally "agreeable" issue. Eliminating racial oppression is an agreeable issue. I mean if Colin was doing All Lives Matter instead I'd focus on calling him an idiot and a moron. I would not waste time talking about whether he should or should not be bringing politics into sports. I don't care about dissing the national anthem, anyone can do it for their own reasons. I am free to voice my opinion (good or bad) on it.

[MiltownHawkeye]

you're an idiot if you think taking issue with Kap (and not even necessarily issue with his actions in this particular instance) makes someone a white supremacist. A grade A mental midget who just likes to use racial buzz words

To me the messenger matters. I don't think Kap is a great messenger.

Who specifically would you consider to be an acceptable messenger?

Probably somebody who had not benefitted from the country which he is expressing disdain for to become one of its richest citizens for nothing more than the ability to throw an oddly shaped toy ball.

There are probably at least 300 million Americans of all colors shapes and sizes who could mount more legitimate cases for how terrible life had turned out for them in American society than Kap. This is a man who has become wealthy beyond the dreams of avarice for something completely trivial, and even a sport which has no popularity outside the country with that flag he doesn't like.

So how does this hypothetical person get their opinion heard if they're just some random poor person?

Also, the problem with that is when poor black people protest, they're usually told to sit down, shut up, and stop "blaming other people for their problems" or to "work harder."

Being rich doesn't preclude him from being affected by racism, nor does it preclude him from caring about the plight of people less fortunate than him. He has a voice that people will listen to, the poor black individual doesn't. In order for a single person's actions to be discussed nationally (like Kaep's are) they probably have to be at least somewhat rich and famous. But you've said that they shouldn't be doing that if they're rich, because the country "made them" famous (not like they worked for it or anything).

So I'll repeat my question: name a specific messenger.

[Damkac]

So what really this guy achieved? Other than insulting lot of people? Was his goal to unite black and white people or to divide and agitate them more?
And some of you should check the definition of the word "fascism" if you really think that national anthem is fascist.

[MrBaynes]

I'd be much more concerned that this player used to be a "franchise" guy that led my team to the the championship game at the most important position, and now has regressed tremendously. I have no problem with what Kaepernick did or has said, but his timing from a pragmatic point of view is quite troubling as a fan. When he was an all-pro level player he did not protest, now that he is battling for a roster spot he protests. Simply put, from a fan perspective and an organizational perspective he picked the worst possible time to protest.

An honest question to pose, that no one besides Kaep can really answer;

"How much of the protest is political, and how much of it is because he want's a distraction from his embarrassing decline on the field?"

[jordan0386]

Poem was written by a racist slave owner. We've been tricked into standing for a very long time now.

America is a **** place. I'm only here for the capitalism.

[bondom34]

It's his right, which others actually fought for. Do I agree? No. Do I vilify him for it? No.

Having said that, when he speaks about oppression he openly says he's not oppressed but gives really poor reasoning.


He's also a terrible terrible QB.

[prefontaine]

Since when is mistreating people the correct way to protest mistreatment of people?


Spitting on the faces of African American soldiers and on the graves of veterans who ended slavery (and segregation) here and in over 50 other countries doesn't seem like the best way to complain about people being treated unfairly.

The World owes a debt to the American Soldier that it can never pay. It is his/her sacrifice that allows people whatever freedom they possess. They are ones who have fought true racism, sexism and bigotry and continue to fight the forces of darkness every day. Kap and his supporters have every right to be upset and to protest but he is protesting against the good guys.

What a load of crap.

First of all - we fought for our freedoms in India and won them without American help, thank you very much. So did the vast majority of anti-colonial/independence movements. In fact, it was the Americans who sent a nuclear submarine to threaten our western seaboard during the Indo Pakistan war of 1972 which was between a functioning democracy (admittedly with flaws) and a country under a military dictatorship.

No country 'fights the good fight'. Countries are concerned with establishing and maintaining their power - it suits America to have rhetoric that clothes it in the language of freedom and democracy...that doesn't mean that it actually follows that rhetoric and the history of American involvement in Latin American dictatorships should show you that.

In fact, you could even make the argument that the American national anthem is fundamentally racist. http://www.theroot.com/articles/history/2016/07/star-spangled-bigotry-the-hidden-racist-history-of-the-national-anthem/ makes the argument that Key wrote a verse in the song that decried `Colonial Marines' which were battalions of runaway slaves that fought for the British who promised them freedom.

Also to the guy that said that African Americans are better off than black people in other parts of the world - that's not the standard man. The standard is equality - full equality guaranteed not only in the wording of the law, but in its execution. By a LOT of statistical measures, African American families are categorically worse off than White families in the US.

This entitlement generation continues to prove that is it the worse. It's ok to fight for what you believe in but by not standing up to the national anthem you are spiting in the faces of those veterans that gave their life to defend the freedom of the country that pays your your 19 million a year. He's a spoiled and disrespectful punk to me. Has nothing to do with color. The man just lacks the basic principles of common decency. Let's see where his dedication lies once that paycheck takes a hit.

What are you even talking about man? This is what freedom is. Veterans fought for people to have the right to say whatever they want. It's not "you can say anything you want as long as it's not xxxx". It's freaking unconditional.

Why don't you respect your veterans' sacrifice by actually appreciating people's right to say what they want to say?

And 'entitlement generation'? What the hell are you talking about? It's categorically harder to make ends meet currently than it was at any time in the post world war 2 period (and I say this as someone who makes 6 figures, so don't you dare throw an ad hominem about how much I earn or how much I work, at me).

The US is failing its citizenry in so many ways it's kind of ridiculous right now and I say this as somebody who goes into schools and teaches and as someone who has protested against the prison industrial complex.

[Black Jack]

I haven't stood for the anthem or acknowledged the pledge of allegiance since I was a kid. Nationalism is a mental disease.

"I love my country too much to be a nationalist." - Albert Camus

[whocurrz]

Just want to say by him not standing I don't take it as disrespecting veterans and soldiers who fought for all Americans rights, freedoms and liberties. It's more of a protest against the current climate in the country created by how Americans have utilized these rights and liberties over the years. Not being proud of the current state of America and refusing to salute the flag that is the symbol of America is not "pissing on the graves of fallen soldiers".

[justicewinslow]

It is absolutely mind-blowningly insane how many racist people post on a basketball message board.

"Black people aren't oppressed."

"Slavery was 400 years ago; get over it."

"He has money... racism isn't a problem."

"He needs to learn what is really going on."

Then again, there are people on this board who think guns are a-okay because 450 elderly people per year die from falling out of bed.

But, really, I assume most of these people are just privileged white kids and truly have no concept of what oppression or institutionalized racism actually is and have no life experience, and that's just sad. You're part of the problem.

As white person who suffered from poverty. You couldn't be more wrong. Its a damn shame that the idea is that white people can't be poor, effected by racism, shot by cops (more than black people actually). But no...we are part of the problem apparently. Its sickening to see this mind set of racist minorities...

Sent from my SGH-I747M using RealGM mobile app

[N8N]

I'm a veteran and I'm okay with people dissenting, or not standing up for the national anthem or the flag. It's their right. I don't like others ostracizing these people for expressing themselves, as long as it is nonviolent and with respect to others. So what if someone sat or didn't remove his/her hat during the anthem? It's more disgusting to see people make that person stand up, remove the hat, or deride him/her for not showing flag decorum.


Sent from my SM-N9005 using RealGM mobile app