Since he began his protest against racial injustice two weeks ago, Kaepernick has sparked a national debate, not only about police brutality but also about how people should protest. His decision to protest has been criticized as unpatriotic, and some fans initially showed their disapproval for his actions by burning their Kaepernick jerseys.
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Though Colin Kaepernick is no longer the starting quarterback for the 49ers, his jersey has become the leading seller in the NFL.
The quarterback continued to sit during performances of the national anthem at later preseason games.
Several other athletes have fallen Kaepernick’s lead since the controversy ignited United States soccer star Megan Rapinoe knelt during the national anthem Sunday night before the Seattle Reign’s 2-2 tie with the Chicago Red Stars in the National Women’s Soccer League.
On Saturday, we were one of the first to publish a blog on the skyrocketing sales of Colin Kaepernick’s jersey.
So, it seems Colin Kaepernick does not miss the point at all; in fact, he is right on it.
“He’s following his constitutional right to make a statement”, Obama said (h/t Jerry McDonald of the Bay Area News Group). Like Obama, officials of the San Francisco 49ers admit Kaepernick’ is within his rights not to stand.
The US president said as well that Kaepernick’s message was lost in his way of protest and that there are other ways to send the message. More Kaepernick gear was sold last week on the team site than in the past eight months combined.
“It’s about people having that right to have their voice, and I think it’s cool that Jeremy Lane is doing what he wants to do”, Bennett said.
“It’s important to have white people stand in support of people of colour on this”, she said.
The president added, “I don’t doubt his sincerity”. “I’m doing it for me”.
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While Kaepernick he intends to donate $1 million “to different organizations to help these communities and help these people”, Lane – who makes significantly less than Kaepernick – said he has not made a decision on any financial support. However, it’s not clear which teams are interested in reports saying that other team executives are angered by Kaepernick’s protest using the national anthem.
