Colin Kaepernick's Argument Essay

Following recent cases of police brutality and racial oppression, many public figures are taking it upon themselves to stand against the issues. In this matter, Colin Kaepernick has been in the spotlight since his protest during a preseason game in August, where he took a knee during the National Anthem. In the articles “The Colin Kaepernick Effect; Another Athlete Stands Up For Social Issues” by LA Watts Times Sports Writer, Amanda Scurlock and “Colin Kaepernick’s Critics Called Him an Idiot. Who’s the Idiot Now?” by Slate Executive Director, Josh Levin, the authors talk about how Colin Kaepernick’s peaceful protest has had many positive and negative backlash. Kaepernick has received much support from not only his fans, but also people such

as President Barack Obama, Head Coach Chip Kelly, and former NBA player, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar who feel it is in his constitutional right to make a statement about the issues at forth. Too, soccer player, Megan Rapinoe, college and high school student athletes are joining Colin Kaepernick in taking a knee until they see a change. However, there are some who think that Colin Kaepernick’s protest is not called for and a cry for attention, including Clay Travis of Fox Sports and Tomi Lahren who called Colin an idiot, whiny and attention-seeking. (Scurlock and Levin)
In personal belief Colin Kaepernick’s protest against police brutality and racism, like many other public figures’ protests, has a huge impact on both the sports and entertainment industries.

The NFL in particular is known for its focus on order, power and control, where operations are anonymous and interchangeable. With that players and employees are none else than compliant with league regulations. In this case Colin Kaepernick’s protest had the ability to go against the grain and break the façade of being afraid to voice his opinions. Today’s generation has become very open to sharing their opinions on social issues and Kapernick’s protest is just an addition. This protest instantly became political because of the fact that police brutality and racial is becoming a persistently uncomfortable issue that our country is facing. Every single there is something new about citizens being killed by the police for no reason, including recent cases such as Philando Castle and Terence Crutcher. Such issues will not be resolved until our society stands against it as a whole. It takes public figures such as Colin Kaepernick to stand with citizens to bring awareness about these issues in order to force change in the government and society. Whether industry leaders like it or not, I believe that such protest will continue to grow. Athletes and entertainers will continue to voice their opinions about social issues until changes come into effect.

(King)