Kaepernick was regarded as the next superstar quarterback a couple of years ago when he took the 49ers to the SuperBowl. Since then he has played poorly and is no longer a starter for his team. So he is not relevant as a player at the moment but he is still a big name.

Anyway he definitely has a point and good on him for speaking out, not surprisingly he is catching a lot of flak from fans for this. I'm not breaking any new ground by saying American sporting events and football games in particular are very patriotic, (for lack of a better word), and even in meaningless pre-season games there are pop stars singing the national anthem while fighter jets fly over the stadium, the whole nine yards. So something like this will be noticed.

I'm mostly surprised it doesn't happen on a more regular basis, but credit and respect to the man for taking a stand. There's a patriotic element in sport in general (and in American sport in particular) that becomes very ugly when it's mandatory. I wish we'd praise athleticism above nationalism.

Jens is right, Kaepernick has become a mediocre QB that's paid $11 million dollars a year. Here's what some fans think of his comments: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/08/27/kaepernick-refuses-to-show-pride-in-a-country-that-oppresses-black-people/

This isn't new in American sports. Timing is important though.

Fair play to him. People who complain about people disrespecting an anthem are morons.

http://fusion.net/story/341512/mahmoud-abdul-rauf-colin-kaepernick/

Nba parallel 20 years ago.

https://theintercept.com/2016/08/28/colin-kaepernick-is-righter-than-you-know-the-national-anthem-is-a-celebration-of-slavery/

[size=medium][font=SwiftNeueLTW01, Georgia, serif]So when Key penned “No refuge could save the hireling and slave / From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave,” he was taking great satisfaction in the death of slaves who’d freed themselves. His perspective may have been affected by the fact he owned several slaves himself.[/font][/size]

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/09/01/colin-kaepernick-my-pig-socks-were-a-statement-on-rogue-cops/

Silly boy. That being said, the comments section is absolutely shocking, as is the way he's being targeted in general. Probably says more about America than the police shootings.

i'll call him silly for the pig socks when these race soldiers stop walking around like this:

and this Philly pig's dog is named Rommel

the best thing about these actions from Kaep is that it's revealing some black people for the cowards that they are like scam newton. he's changed since the super bowl, disgusting. i can't wait until white people start shitting on him again,  he'll see that he's alone because black folks will ride for you no matter what until you reveal yourself to be a coon and then it's like fuck you go back to your master. 

Pig as a slur...ffs. It's an insult for what they do, not who they are.

I am not the most informed person when it comes to NFL etc, but in the broader context i think he is doing a great job. I also think he is making a lot of noise because of his place in society as his actions lead to a direct visual and unavoidable impact on people.Top level sports is too 'nationalistic' and people take it too far when patriotism/nationalism are tied to it. I agree with Klaus that end of the day it is a 'athletic' competition and should be viewed more so. 

I don't even see him as 'black' person but more like an american protesting police brutality. I wish more Americans viewed it like that. Good on him!

he's an NFL player.

Haven't really been following the Kaepernick story, but if it involves a black man in the US pointing out a good number of white cops are racists, and that the rate of black death by cop is an abomination … good?

and those some people are full of shit and trying to distract from his point. his $12m salary for 2016 was fully guaranteed on Mar 31. if this was some ploy to protect his money he would have done so before that deadline.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000649266/article/colin-kaepernick-still-with-49ers-salary-guaranteed

Meatwad wrote:

i'll call him silly for the pig socks when these race soldiers stop walking around like this:

and this Philly pig's dog is named Rommel

The second picture doesn't surprise me, we have those even here where racism usually isn't as open as in the US. The first one though.. what the fuck is wrong with these people

http://www.theplayerstribune.com/russell-okung-colin-kaepernick-protest/

Really good piece from a player showing support for Kap and the issue, but also addressing the need for action rather than just a statement. That has been my concern with Kaepernick's protest - he hasn't been clear about what he has an issue with (though it should be obvious, it's not to some) and he hasn't identified what he and others should do to more directly influence change.

Sitting down during an anthem does little to make change, it just draws the eyes to an already identified issue but at the risk of disillusioning some.

Bryant wrote:

It's a complicated story Burnwinter. He is/was in danger of getting released from his contract, and there's some that believe this was a desperation ploy to make him relevant and prevent the 49ers from releasing him.

To his credit, he is donating $1 million dollars to various organizations after these stories.

Speaking as someone who barely gives a fuck about NFL (though I do recognise it's an impressive sport) if he's doing something relevant … he is relevant.

He's doing something, that's more than most. He's a football player he can't directly affect change. All he can do is use his profile to try raise awareness.

jones wrote:

Meatwad wrote:

i'll call him silly for the pig socks when these race soldiers stop walking around like this:

and this Philly pig's dog is named Rommel

The second picture doesn't surprise me, we have those even here where racism usually isn't as open as in the US. The first one though.. what the fuck is wrong with these people

Why was the 2nd picture posted?

Because he has a dog named Rommel and a tattoo which says 'Fatherland' on his forearm? May want to google both those before you reply.

How do we know he has a dog named Rommel?

Fatherland above an outstretched eagle, so I'm assuming he see's German Nazi as the fatherland...

No need to assume, Savz. That's the reichsadler emblem with a jackboot font above it. There are no other typographic elements or eagle designs quite like those due to the obvious connotations. You don't go into a tattoo parlor and end up with something like that by accident.

Given that his name is Lichtermann he probably has German roots.

Rex wrote:

Because he has a dog named Rommel and a tattoo which says 'Fatherland' on his forearm? May want to google both those before you reply.

so because a nazi got fed up in '44 or '45 and was supportive of a plot to kill hitler means he was a good one? nothing significant happened before he got fed up? he's scum whether he's viewed as a hero in germany or not. and he had jewish slaves or unpaid servants if that's more delicate when he was in north africa.

Still gotta assume.. I know nothing about this man.

He could have made a couple bad choices as a teenager only to realise his mistakes later on in life. He may look at the tattoo and hate it. Nobody knows, but we got a couple guys in here talking amongst themselves insinuating that he's definitely a Nazi, he should know a bit more before saying he's definitely one, right?

Motorhead use the jackboot font, and Lemmy has an extensive collection of Nazi uniforms and he even wears them now and again, he's spoken about his house looking like a fricking shrine to the Nazi's, but always says he collect the stuff, not the ideas.

If nobody knew a thing about Lemmy, we'd be sitting here calling him a Nazi too. Gotta know more about the person and try not to say he's this or that based off of a tattoo.

Nazi stuff is some of the most provocative imagery that you can brandish, and that's why people get tattoos or wear the stuff. This police officer could have some form of mental problem, again as a teenager for example, and wanted to stand out as he may have have been unable to do so in some of the ways most of us think are normal.

(Or he could just be a Nazi lover who isn't scared of the fact, and in that case he needs help and the Philidelphia police need to go public as to why they hired a Nazi.)

Savz wrote:

Motorhead use the jackboot font, and Lemmy has an extensive collection of Nazi uniforms and he even wears them now and again, he's spoken about his house looking like a fricking shrine to the Nazi's, but always says he collect the stuff, not the ideas.

Motörhead aren't public servants. Musicians and artists are known to incorporate brutalistic symbols of evil and oppression into their imagery - see the pentagrams and satanistic imagery in death metal for instance. It doesn't change the fact you can't be a cop with nazi symbols tattooed onto your body or public display. You wouldn't accept a swastika along the same line just because a similar sign with a completely different meaning exists in Indian culture.

I personally wouldn't accept it. But in America isn't is allowed under the first amendment to the United States Constitution, which guarantees the right to freedom of speech? Tasteless but it's up to the person if they want it or not.

Now a public servant having a swastika? No, they shouldn't be hired on that alone. If they used to be a Nazi or they used to have ties with a Nazi group but have changed, then I'd suggest getting the tattoo removed before being hired.

Savz wrote:

I personally wouldn't accept it. But in America isn't is allowed under the first amendment to the United States Constitution, which guarantees the right to freedom of speech? Tasteless but it's up to the person if they want it or not.

Freedom of speech (in this specific case: freedom of expression) doesn't work the way you think it works, is the short answer. It's not a carte blanche to do whatever you want in a society and it doesn't mean you're protected from the consequences. Freedom of speech and expression are limited even further when you represent juridical and governing institutions.

Perhaps he slipped and fell on a tattoo gun? And then it happened again on his other arm. Poor fella.

Daz wrote:

Perhaps he slipped and fell on a tattoo gun? And then it happened again on his other arm. Poor fella.

Is there any need for these sarcastic remarks? I put a point across, as stupid as it sounds it was simply to show nobody knows what this man has gone through and what he's doing with his life now.

Yes there is. As Rex says, embrace the sarcasm.