Sunday was the largest day of protest the NFL has ever seen and it has since led to a chaotic stream of media coverage. It can be hard to find where it all begin, but as they say, the journey of a thousand steps begins with the first knee.

Colin Kaepernick is the most recent in a long and proud line of athletes of color standing up to institutionalized racism in the United States. But some are losing track of the original narrative.

Andy Mendes | Digital Design Editor

Kaepernick first knelt in August 2016 during the national anthem to protest a police force that disproportionately targets and kills people of color, especially black men. Over the following months, Kaepernick continued to kneel and explain his reasoning. Other athletes slowly but courageously joined him.

Kaepernick repeatedly endured racism as a largely white fanbase criticized a black man for exercising his right to free speech. To this audience, black athletes exist to perform. The question of whether they have equal rights is at best a distraction and at worst a threat to the game and the country itself.

Yet this past summer, he was out of a contract. His iconic protests have proved to be a deal-breaker. Whether NFL owners are overtly racist or are afraid of losing money from racist fans, they are encouraging racism in the NFL — a league that has demonstrated drunk driving, domestic abuse and sexual assault are not reason enough to terminate employment. This has led to calls to boycott the league that have thus far been successful.

Then, President Donald Trump joined the conversation. In a Friday speech, Trump declared he wants NFL owners to “get that son of a b*tch off the field,” in reference to anthem protesters.

Trump’s comments cleverly shift the conversation. What began as a protest of police brutality became a matter of disrespecting both him and the country. Media headlines largely talked about Trump’s comments but not the racist policing that ignited protests in the first place.

This shift in rhetoric made it easy for owners and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to offer lukewarm statements opposing Trump. And it makes it easy for fans to forget the NFL doesn’t stand with Kaepernick in the first place.

Trump knows how to play the bad guy. It’s how he was elected. Stealing the conversation and making it about himself is how Trump deflects criticism of the system.

Trump’s rhetorical sparring with the media should not detract from the many players who knelt in solidarity against police brutality and Kaepernick’s continued unemployment. Strong statements like the Seattle Seahawks’ showcase the disgust football players feel about today’s racism. Fans should stand with players and boycott the NFL until Kaepernick is on a roster.

It doesn’t have to stop with fans. If you represent the Orange competitively, consider asking your teammates if they believe racist policing is an issue and if they would be willing to take a knee with you during your next game. Bad publicity leading to a loss of money is the only way we can move the system into action.

Sam Norton is a senior advertising and psychology dual major. His column appears biweekly. He can be reached at sanorton@syr.edu.

Published on September 26, 2017 at 11:17 pm