On Wednesday, Colin Kaepernick posted a video showing him working out, which said that he had been in the gym “5am. 5 days a week. For 3 years.” and that he is still ready to play in NFL.
5am. 5 days a week. For 3 years. Still Ready. pic.twitter.com/AGczejA1rM
— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) August 7, 2019
Quick review of comments on social media exposes once again the ugly truth about Kaepernick’s critics.
But it also shows that Kaepernick’s legacy will live for years to come and well beyond any football field like in this reply by a Twitter user Dominique Hamilton (@Underrated_Dom) .
You’re a household name now. Owners want players they can control. They want to use you to send a message to others in the league. You woke a lot of people up, unfortunately some are still sleep and others are in a coma.
Unwavering. Unrelenting. Unflinching. Unapologetic. Love you Brother! ✊🏾@E_Reid35 pic.twitter.com/bezYzYz2UI
— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) July 30, 2019
Do you know that before there was Colin Kaepernick, there was Jackie Robinson, another sports legend who fought against racism. This story about Brooklyn Dodgers player from the 40’s is worth reading.
Half a Century Before Colin Kaepernick, Jackie Robinson Said, ‘I Cannot Stand and Sing the Anthem.’ - The Nation
While chasing the latest news we must never forget that current Kapernick’s social media critics are the same kind of people who two years ago taped Colin Kaepernick’s San Francisco 49ers Quarterback jersey to floor as welcome mat in a restaurant in Virginia.
If you need more examples: just recently, in the wake of mass killings, an Ohio state lawmaker, Candice Keller, a Republican state representative from Middletown, near Dayton, Ohio, where nine people were killed early Sunday, offered her diagnosis on her personal Facebook page: Ohio Republican blamed mass shootings on ‘drag queen advocates,’ Colin Kaepernick and Obama - WaPo
Trump Also Told Colin Kaepernick That He Should Leave the Country - Slate
Trump has used the “send them back” rhetoric about black athletes in the past, including Kaepernick. During his presidential campaign, Trump attacked Colin Kaepernick for protesting police brutality by declining to stand during the national anthem. “Maybe he should find a country that works better for him,” Trump said.
It’s up to all of us to continue support for Colin Kaepernick and his idea of “taking a knee”. We can take example from Megan Rapinoe defending her own national anthem protests - “Being a gay American, I know what it means to look at the flag and not have it protect all of your liberties.”