During a trip to China for the G20 Summit of world leaders, President Obama weighed in on Colin Kaepernick’s decision to sit during the national anthem. As such, he hasn’t had much time to dwell on football, he told reporters at a press conference in Hangzhou, China on Monday.
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U.S. President Barack Obama said on Monday that San Francisco 49er quarterback Colin Kaepernick was exercising his constitutional right by not standing during the national anthem, although it might be a “tough thing” to stomach for people in the military or law enforcement.
“In terms of Mr. Kaepernick, I’ve got to confess that I haven’t been thinking about football while I’ve been over here and I haven’t been following this closely, but my understanding, at least, is that he’s exercising his Constitutional right to make a statement”.
“I think it’s actually pretty disgusting the way he was treated and the way a lot of media has covered it and made it about something it actually isn’t”, Rapinoe said.
San Francisco 49ers star Colin Kaepernick kicked off a firestorm of controversy when he refused to stand, instead choosing to kneel during the US national anthem before a preseason game, his way of protesting racial violence perpetrated by police against African-Americans. “But I don’t doubt his sincerity”.
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. “We need to have a thoughtful, more two-sided conversation about racial relations in this country”. “Sometimes that’s messy and controversial and gets people angry and frustrated”.
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Obama continued, “But I’d rather have young people engaged in the argument and trying to think through how they can be part of our democratic process than those who are just sitting on the sidelines”. Soccer player Megan Rapinoe also knelt during a National Women’s Soccer League game, telling American Soccer Now that her actions were “a little nod to Kaepernick”. On Thursday night in San Diego, Kaepernick and safety Eric Reid kneeled during the anthem before a game against the Chargers.
