All it took to raise questions was a knee

On Sunday, Colin Kaepernick will make his second start of the season when the San Francisco 49ers play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. When the national anthem plays before the game, he will likely take a knee. The cameras will flash, social media will explode and criticism will keep flowing.

Indeed, the saga surrounding one of the most divisive figures in sports history will live another week. And boy, has this — a high-profile professional athlete protesting racial injustice and police brutality by refusing to respect his nation’s flag — ever divided us.

Everyone has a take on this. President Barack Obama defended it. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg called it “dumb and disrespectful.” Athletes and coaches across all sports have been quoted on it.

People turned in death threats, burned his jersey and called him a traitor and names far worse. ESPN talking head Trent Dilfer had the hilarious opinion that Kaepernick should “be quiet” because he was a backup. Last Sunday, when Kaepernick made his first start of the season in Buffalo, Bills’ fans sold shirts with a picture of a rifle scope aimed at the quarterback. Critics labeled him a spoiled attention grabber, claiming a man who makes millions playing football has no right to disrespect the flag while soldiers are dying overseas for his freedom.

To me, these people are missing the point. For one, I don’t believe Kaepernick is doing this to seek attention. Those who have followed him since his rookie season know that he hated dealing with the media, oftentimes brushing aside questions during press conferences. This was back in 2013, when he led the 49ers to the Super Bowl appearance and was considered an up-and-coming-star. Now, he’s a has-been who couldn’t even beat out Blaine Gabbert for the starting job when he started his protest. Why would Kaepernick risk his reputation and the rest of his career just to make a political statement?

More importantly, those who continue to condemn Kaepernick are more focused on the nature of his protest rather than the protest itself. I would argue the broader message is always more important than how it is being delivered (assuming it is non-violent). However, while everybody is for better race relations and less police brutality, for some, seeing someone overtly disregard the flag is an automatic turn-off.

It shouldn’t be. Kaepernick has repeatedly stated he is not trying to offend the country, the military or the flag. He is using his platform as an athlete to advocate for an issue he cares about deeply. If you or I sat during the national anthem before a game, nobody would care. But because Kaepernick has a following and is a pro athlete, he knows his actions will ignite a discussion, and he’s done it.

In the weeks that have passed since he started his protest, he’s gotten people talking about race, about what our flag represents and about the requirements of patriotism. Before his protest, I never thought about why the national anthem is played before virtually every sporting event across America. I just went along with it, assuming it was a tradition. But it’s a fair — if controversial — question to ask: Are we obligated to display unconditional love for this country just because we paid for a ticket to watch a game? If so, then why isn’t the anthem played before, say, we watch a movie or go to a concert? How is a football game connected to one’s feelings toward America?

These are obviously contentious points, and it’s understandable for some who have a deep connection to the flag or are in the military to disagree. I know members of the ROTC on campus who are steadfast in their opposition to Kaepernick, and they say their peers almost unanimously feel the same way. I don’t blame them. They feel like Kaepernick is a traitor. They feel like he’s stepping on the flag, wiping his shoes all over it and spitting on the soldiers who fight every day for his freedom. They feel like he’s un-American.

But I’d argue that what he’s doing makes America great. He is vindicating — not disrespecting — the soldiers who fought for his freedom because the alternative would be the very opposite of what America stands for: him being silenced, unable to speak out at all as a dissident.

Kaepernick said as much after last week’s game in Buffalo, where he was loudly booed by fans who loudly chanted “USA” before he took a knee.

“I don’t understand what’s more American than fighting for liberty and justice for everybody, for the equality this country says it stands for,” he said. “To me, I see it as very patriotic and American to uphold the United States to the standards it says it lives by.”

Racial injustice and police brutality are very real problems in this country, and it’s not going to be solved by people screaming and yelling that someone decided to exercise his First Amendment rights. Those who call Kaepernick a traitor without even considering what drove him to make such a dramatic protest are ignoring the bigger issue for which he is fighting. If there’s one thing we’ve learned by what Kaepernick has done — which has dragged on nearly two months — it’s that the longer it lasts, the more truth serum is injected into America regarding how uncomfortable our society still is about discussing race.

However, to end on a positive, we’ve also learned the power of a simple action to spark a much bigger action. It’s refreshing to see so many athletes stand with him and even join in protest, from fellow NFL players to U.S. women’s national soccer team star Megan Rapinoe. The hashtag #VeteransForKaepernick was a nice example that social media does indeed have a humanistic side to it. But most importantly — regardless of how you feel about the method of protest — the fact that we are still talking about Kaepernick means that what he did worked.

Colin Kaepernick may not end racism, but us holding hands, singing “Kumbayah” and pretending everything is fine won’t do anything either. We cannot solve societal issues unless we confront them head on and find solutions, no matter how awkward it may be. Kaepernick has forced the issue and sparked an important dialogue — and all it took was a knee.

Eric He is a sophomore majoring in print and digital journalism. He is also the sports editor of the Daily Trojan. His column, “Grinding Gears,” runs Fridays.