While Kaepernick’s protest, which is the National Football League player’s public way of taking a stand against racial injustice and police brutality, has received lots of support, the move doesn’t come without some backlash.
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According to Darren Rovell of ESPN, Kaepernick’s jersey is now the best seller for the 49ers, and his jersey sales have surged in comparison to the past few months.
He told journalists while travelling in China that Kaepernick is “exercising his constitutional right” to sit during the national anthem, while conceding that the protest could be a “tough thing” for military service members to accept.
Though Kaepernick, whose gear was also popular when he led the Niners to Super Bowl XLVII at the conclusion of the 2012 season, lost the training camp battle to reclaim his starting job – he’s now behind Blaine Gabbert – it’s not surprising his jersey sales have skyrocketed.
“But I don’t doubt his sincerity, based on what I’ve heard”, Obama continued.
However, Obama said condemnation of Kaepernick’s act threatened to drown out the quarterback’s effort to shine a light on issues affecting minorities. Saying, he’d “rather have young people who are engaged in the argument than people who are just sitting on the sidelines and not paying attention at all”.
A string of recent police killings and subsequent revenge killings have sparked protests across the nation.
Rapine added that as a gay woman, she understands Kaepernick’s views on the flag.
For all you gaming heads, last week, EA Sports announced that Kaepernick’s protest of the National Anthem will be depicted in-game in NFL Madden ’17, “reflecting its commitment to authenticity”. The 49ers have framed the issue in terms of the right of free expression enjoyed by all Americans.
And “talk about it” Twitter users did, with a great outpouring of racist comments online tearing into the president, with one commenter writing, “Of course he would side with an anti-American mulatto”.
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It was the first time that the president had weighed in on Kaepernick’s actions, which many have criticized as being as disrespectful to the United States. “That’s my president”, wrote a user called The Black Gambit, using street jargon for a subtle criticism of a rival.
