There has been a lot of discussion (read that as angry tirades) recently about the fact that Colin Kaepernick - San Francisco 49er's quarterback - refused to stand up during the American National Anthem before the start of a pre-season game. His subsequent statement was:
"I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football, and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."
I don't think anyone who has not been to a sporting event in America quite realizes just how sacrilegious an act this was. I've been to a baseball game in the past where my friend chastised me for not taking my cap off during the playing of the national anthem. I thought standing up was sufficient, but apparently not. I think America is prone to excessive acts and displays of patriotism, and this is definitely one of them. So contrary to a lot of the criticism being directed towards Kaepernick, I actually have a great deal of respect for what he did - I think it took a lot of guts. Though hardly on the same scale, it is not dissimilar to acts like the Black Power salute during the Olympics medal ceremony or some of Muhammad Ali's much celebrated words and actions. So I say good for him for expressing his beliefs, even though it might cost him sponsorship, endorsements and probably his NFL career. Freedom of expression is one of America's founding principals, so I think we have to respect that even if we don't necessarily believe in what is being expressed.
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