“As a man, I’m flesh and blood, I can be ignored, I can be destroyed; but as a symbol… as a symbol I can be incorruptible, I can be everlasting.” (The Dark Knight). History is written by people who had ideas and acted on th em. If no one had the heart to stand up to the opposition, through great adversity, we as a people would never enact social change. Maybe we would still be living a world where women could not vote, where two men of different ethnicity could not sit at the same diner bar. If people never took stands, we would still be sitting in our mistakes. This world needs brave people who are willing to be martyrs in a fight to change society. There are countless examples of this across history, and today we as a people still have to fight for what we believe in.
We as a society are absolutely controlled by pop culture media. The top headline of the last three years; Former NFL star quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Kaepernick’s single act has enacted huge social change across an entire nation. Bias and opinions aside, Colin Kaepernick has unarguably had a massive impact on this generation. The effects of one man’s pursuit for justice has inspired nationwide social change, and has opened the door for future generation’s to take stands against the evil’s of the world. One person has the potential to change the world.
In 2012, Colin Kaepernick came only three points shy of being remembered as the backup quarterback that drove a lackluster San Francisco 49er’s team to a Super Bowl victory. Replacing franchise quarterback Alex Smith, the young Kaep absolutely dominated the field in every way and looked like he might be the second coming of a prime Michael Vick. Today, in 2018, that season is all but forgotten. The name “Colin Kaepernick” has a much bigger meaning. To some, it’s an ugly name. A name that disgracing everything they stand for and believe in. But to many more, that name has inspired them to be something more than they could ever believe. In the 2016 NFL pre-season, Colin Kaepernick boldly took a stance on national television.
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Kaepernick, as the national anthem played like it has hundreds of times prior, did not stand like the tradition that has been carried out by generations. Instead, Kaepernick was sitting. Truly a simple act, but the meaning behind it expanded to a mainstream juggernaut of an idea. He was not doing this for no reason, “Kaepernick was initially moved to protest by the deaths of African Americans at the hands of police or while in police custody. These deaths gained prominence through the media and the Black Lives Matter movement in the years immediately preceding the protest.
During a post-game interview on August 26, 2016, he stated, ‘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’, adding that he would continue to protest during the anthem until he feels like ‘[the United States flag] represents what it’s supposed to represent.’ (Allen). Accompanied by teammate Ed Reid, the new found “revolutionaries” changed how they would do things, ‘After hours of careful consideration, and even a visit from Nate Boyer, a retired Green Beret and former NFL player, we came to the conclusion that we should kneel, rather than sit, … during the anthem as a peaceful protest,’ said Reid.
‘We chose to kneel because it’s a respectful gesture. I remember thinking our posture was like a flag flown at half-mast to mark a tragedy.” (New York Times). This simple protest, started by one man one pre-season afternoon, would go on to be the front of a massive new social campaign. Athletes across the league would soon follow, and soon athletes from different sports, different levels of competition, different countries, would join in in their own ways. The campaign went so far as to ignite the President of the United States, Donald Trump. Trump did not hide his emotions, stating, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now, out, he’s fired. He’s fired!’ Trump called the players’ protest ‘a total disrespect of our heritage’. (Griffiths). This ALL started with one man’s humble act of sitting during the anthem.
Since this time, Kaepernick has been the center of a media storm, and has gained appraisal as well as much distress from people nationwide. Kaepernick has been the successor of many rewards, that include but are not limited to:
2017 GQ Magazine Citizen of the Year
2017 Sports Illustrated Muhammad Ali Legacy Award
2017 American Civil Liberties Union Eason Monroe Courageous Advocate Award
2017 Puffin/Nation Institute Prize for Creative Citizenship
2018 Amnesty International Ambassador of Conscience Award
2018 Harvard University W. E. B. Du Bois Medal
(GQ, New York Times, Harvard).
These awards were earned and rightfully so, Kaepernick has done incredible work and funded many organizations for this issue, “Kaepernick pledged to donate the first $1 million of his $11.9 million salary from the 2016–2017 season to different organizations that help communities in need. (Wagner-McGough). Kaepernick has done a lot of good with his campaign but he has definitely had some faults. In 2016, Kaep was seen wearing socks with pigs wearing police hats, a blatant and offensive act towards police. He is by no means a saint, but that doesn’t mean he is not willing to do what is right, even if he is willing to take things too far. In 2018, Kaepernick became the face of the Nike campaign slogans, “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything,”. That campaign has since done over $6 billion in revenue. (Abad-Santos).
The overall point of this paper was attempt to show the effects of what people can do. Colin Kaepernick was used as a mere vessel for my overall point. You don’t have to be loud or host a rally to protest ideas. The days of peaceful protests and social change are not over, we must never stop fighting for what we believe in. The effects of Colin Kaepernick have already begun to take fold. He has pressured Roger Goodell, NFL Commissioner, to enact rule changes about the anthem that will hold precedence for years to come. He has inspired athletes and social leaders WORLDWIDE to oppose social injustice. Kaepernick has affected the minds of young future leaders of this country. Kaepernick was a football player with an idea to do something great. He is a catalyst for the Black Lives Matter campaign, a campaign that increases in popularity every day and will hold great weight over society for years to come. Racism is NOT erased in this country. Every single day innocent people of color are discriminated against, and in extreme cases killed. Police have killed 1,056 people this year, Police killed 1,147 people in 2017. Black people were 25% of those killed despite being only 13% of the population. (Mapping Police Violence). Kaepernick shed a massive light on this massive issue. He was one man.
The effects of one man’s pursuit for justice has inspired nationwide social change, and has opened the door for future generation’s to take stands against the evil’s of the world. This world will always have demons that want to destroy the creative minds of younger generations. It’s easy to keep control of people that do not utilize the power of freedom and their voice. Colin Kaepernick was a football player, and he has changed a nation. It is not impossible. He has affected us today and leaves everlasting effects on the way this world views oppression, and his work is not over with yet. One man can change the world. Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything.
