The NFL Anthem Debate: An Analysis of Trump’s Victory and Kaepernick’s Protest

Introduction to Kaepernick’s Protest

Seems to me that Kaepernick brought a lot of attention to his cause and the next time someone wants to get similar attention, they will know what to do. But it does seem he has paid a higher price than he probably anticipated, but the final outcome is yet to be determined. It is important to note that Kaepernick's protest was rooted in complex social and racial issues.

The How and Why of Trump's Involvement

I would feel better about it if he actually knew the words to our National Anthem. If you want to know the real reason Donald Trump grabbed ahold of this issue and ran with it, google Donald Trump the USFL and the NFL. He was angry that he could not purchase a NFL team, so he bought a team in the USFL, which was a new league that played their games in the Spring.

Donald Trump decided he wanted to play the NFL head-to-head in the fall. He convinced the other owners to get on board with him, but they were not successful in this endeavor and the result was bankruptcy and the league folding. As a person who never likes to lose, Trump was outraged. He took the NFL to court and won a minimal amount, 1.00, which was tripled to 3.00 due to antitrust laws. Thus was the demise of the USFL. When the kneeling started, Trump saw another opportunity to try and sink the NFL, and he ran with it. He made it into a political issue, even though the players were protesting for equal rights and against police violence. Many veterans agreed with the players, stating that what they fought for included equal rights.

Analysis of the Debate

As far as I am concerned, it would be acceptable if it came from someone who wasn’t a draft dodger. If it had come from someone like McCain, it would have been acceptable. Donald Trump won nothing in the NFL anthem farce because there was no "debate."

This whole issue started because Colin Kaepernick was sitting on the bench during the playing of the national anthem while the rest of his teammates were standing. I could go on about how America discriminates against Black people in all aspects of life, but for the sake of brevity, I will focus on the area that has so angered Mr. Kaepernick: Black men are far more likely to be shot and killed by police than white men.

America is bathed in the blood of Black people. It is the nation's original sin, and it did not end as much as it evolved. Racism is a cancer, not a bruise. It goes dormant and then flares up with ferocious intensity. When asked why he was sitting out the anthem, Kaepernick answered, "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 streets, and people are getting away with murder."

Evaluation of Kaepernick’s and Trump’s Perspectives

Agree or disagree with the former quarterback's decision, if you like. It was still his decision to make and it cost him his job in the NFL. If you only agree someone has the right to protest when you agree with what they are protesting about, you don't really believe in the right to protest.

Colin Kaepernick is not the next MLK. He's not the next Jim Brown, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Muhammad Ali, or any other Black athlete who has stood up or sat down to protest the racial inequities of America. He is the first Colin Kaepernick, and he follows the light cast by those before him on the darkness of American racism. I’d rather take a knee with Kaepernick than stand with Trump. YMMV.