Protesters Flock to the NFL's NYC Headquarters in Solidarity With Colin Kaepernick
People have traveled from far and wide to rally in front of the NFL headquarters in New York City to support former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and protest the uncertainty of his future in football.
In the 2016 preseason games, Kaepernick began sitting down during “The Star-Spangled Banner” in protest of police brutality.
“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,” Kaepernick told NFL media, in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. “There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."
By the end of the preseason, Kaepernick was kneeling instead of sitting the national anthem out, which he said was in respect to those who have served in the U.S. military. His decision started a movement across the NFL and other sporting industries, with various other athletes choosing to kneel alongside or raise their fist in the Black Power salute.
All the while, Kaepernick began receiving widespread criticism for taking his stance, some against bringing politics into sports and others against the Black Lives Matter movement as a whole. Kaepernick was voted most disliked player in the NFL, with 37 percent of white people disliking him “a lot,” according to ESPN.
Kaepernick opted out of a new six-year contract with the 49ers, his team since 2011, back in March. Since then, he has remained unsigned. Commentators believe this is due to the movement he started. However, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell claims Kaepernick is not being blackballed by the league.
"The message of Kaepernick’s protest isn’t just that we live in an unjust society but that there’s a high price for speaking out,” Rann Miller wrote on AlterNet.
Sports commentators believe it is unlikely that Kaepernick will be signed lest another quarterback in the league fall ill or get injured.
Thus, a dozen groups including Justice League NYC and Color of Change organized the rally, gathering outside the NFL headquarters to stand in solidarity with Kaepernick.
“All [Kaepernick] did was say that getting shot down in the streets, unarmed, is wrong,” one protester told CNN. “And what did they do? He was ‘white-balled.’”
If Kaepernick remains unsigned, protesters plan on hitting the NFL where it hurts—their ad revenue. They plan to boycott the league by removing Nielsen boxes, attending games and purchasing merchandise.
“If Colin can take a knee for social justice, we can stand behind him for social justice."
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