#nfl protest

[jasonraish]

Chris Rose writes that we are all pawns in these NFL taking a knee patriot games, where your patriotism is measured by what stance you take on this controversial matter.

[teesadutta]

9.25.17

[goodblacknews]

Colin Kaepernick is Named GQ Magazine’s ‘Citizen of the Year’

via thegrio.com GQ Magazine has just named Colin Kaepernick as its “Citizen of the Year.” In a special December issue of the magazine, Kaepernick paired with GQ as well as ten of his closest allies…

[reasonandempathy]

Colin Kaepernick Will Not Be Silenced.  GQ Citizen of the Year.

Colin Kaepernick's protest against police brutality puts him in rare company in sports history.

In 2013, Colin Kaepernick was on the cover of this magazine because he was one of the best football players in the world. In 2017, Colin Kaepernick is on GQ's cover once again—but this time it is because he isn't playing football. And it's not because he's hurt, or because he's broken any rules, or because he's not good enough. Approximately 90 men are currently employed as quarterbacks in the NFL, as either starters or reserves, and Colin Kaepernick is better—indisputably, undeniably, flat-out better—than at least 70 of them. He is still, to this day, one of the most gifted quarterbacks on earth. And yet he has been locked out of the game he loves—blackballed—because of one simple gesture: He knelt during the playing of our national anthem. And he did it for a clear reason, one that has been lost in the yearlong storm that followed. He did it to protest systemic oppression and, more specifically, as he said repeatedly at the time, police brutality toward black people.

When we began discussing this GQ cover with Colin earlier this fall, he told us the reason he wanted to participate is that he wants to reclaim the narrative of his protest, which has been hijacked by a president eager to make this moment about himself. But Colin also made it clear to us that he intended to remain silent. As his public identity has begun to shift from football star to embattled activist, he has grown wise to the power of his silence. It has helped his story go around the world. It has even provoked the ire and ill temper of Donald Trump. Why talk now, when your detractors will only twist your words and use them against you? Why speak now, when silence has done so much?

At the same time, Colin is all too aware that silence creates a vacuum, and that if it doesn't get filled somehow, someone else will fill it for him. In our many conversations with Colin about this project, we discussed the history of athletes and civil rights, and the indelible moments it called to mind, and we decided that we'd use photography—the power of imagery and iconography—to do the talking.

[beingbreannaleigh]

This is the same guy who spoke out in support of transgender athletes, and honestly, this is such a well-written and well-delivered rebuttal to all his, and my, fellow white people that are throwing a fucking fit over a piece of cloth and a British gentlemen’s club song.

[gibsalad]

Standing, not standing, kneeling is all virtue signaling bullshit to Rick.

[for-peace-war]

Ignore the NFL protests.

They're not even about anything anymore and Trump is using them as another smokescreen from his activities.

Kaepernick may have knelt for police violence but at this point the NFL is arguing in favor of its autonomy which is meaningless. After all, Kaepernick is still unsigned.

So just don't bother getting invested in this. It's rich people yelling at each other with players and patrons as pawns.

[teesadutta]

9.25.17