With a gesture that nearly went unnoticed,the 49ers player ignited a debate approximately racial inequality, police brutality and the meaning of the American flag
The protest overwhelming the start of the NFL season began not with a shout or raised fist but an act so passive it was all but invisible to the thousands who were there. On the night of 26 August, or San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick refused to stand for the national anthem before the team’s pre-season game against the Green Bay Packers. His defiance was nearly impossible to discern as he sat surrounded by Gatorade containers on the team’s bench. It might have been missed altogether had a reporter from the NFL Network not noticed and asked him approximately it after the game.“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color, Kaepernick told the NFL Network that night. “To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to view the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting absent with murder.” Related: Goodell missed the point: Kaepernick's argument isn't with the military Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com