In recent weeks, San Francisco 49ers quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, has made almost every sporting headline while also sparking much controversy between many different kinds of people. On August 28th, his team was scheduled to play against the Green Bay Packers as a preseason game. The once crowned "star quarterback" took a leap of faith and chose to not participate in the singing of the American National Anthem. Unlike every other athlete that rose to their feet to participate in the American pre-game tradition, Colin Kaepernick stayed and sat on the bench and watched with a sense of disappointment. This silent protest enraged many former war veterans and also proud Americans all around the United States. Following the demonstration, this "movement" was trending worldwide. Millions of tweets were pouring into Kaepernick's social media accounts with threats and praise. In fact, news stations such as Sportscenter, NFL Network, and more were discussing this altercation for days. After the game, he was interviewed by many media members, but the main question stayed the same: "Colin, why didn't you stand for the national anthem? Colin what was your reasoning behind it?" His reasoning for not taking part in such an observance was rather simple; he says, "I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that racially oppresses black people and people of color." Critics of Kaepernick mentioned that the argument that race and supporting a flag that gave you such rights does not correlate. Also, a popular belief held by critics of Kap is that he is a professional football player first, and he should be worried about what is going on on the field, rather than world problems. He later goes on to mention that this problem is much bigger than football and he can no longer turn his back on such a dilemma. Although some may look at this outcry as disrespectful or rude, the fact that Colin Kaepernick is mentally strong enough to stand up for something that he believes in is extremely admirable & for that, I stand with him in protest. Some may look at him as a star and some may look at him as an antagonist, but I view him as a hero. With everything going on in the world today, it is very rare to see an athlete of such magnitude take a stand, and that is exactly what Kaepernick did. He may have lost sponsorships, or even the chance to play in the National Football League ever again. But, the thing that remains the same is that he stood up for what is right, and that is definitely worthy of praise. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000691077/article/colin-kaepernick-explains-why-he-sat-during-national-anthem
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