On September 1st,  2016 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick began his newfound method of protesting which was kneeling instead of sitting during the national anthem before the game.  Earlier during the preseason, Kaepernick was spotted sitting during the national anthem but the story did not pick up national media coverage until his knee touched the ground. When asked why he refused to stand he said “ 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 on the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”  When I was younger Kaepernick kneeling during the anthem was one of the first times I saw a professional athlete voicing their opinion on social issues.  I did not understand everything going on socially and politically but I did understand that there were people on his side that understood why he was doing what he was doing  and there were people that hated his guts for what he was doing.  This was evident with the different people voicing their opinion on the situation whether it was veterans or NFL owners. There was a mixed stance and a wide range on how people received his actions.  Kaepernick was a catalyst for activism and he inspired more athletes to use their platform in hopes of making a change.  Different media outlets saw his actions as disgusting and disrespectful to the flag.  During a rally Donald Trump stated “ Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners , when somebody disrespect our flag, to say, Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Out! He’s fired! He’s Fired!.”  Throughout his kneeling social media maintained a  mixed stance on the situation.  Every action after his kneeling Colin had to justify and speak with different media outlets regarding his side of the story. Media outlets enhanced the impact of the act because the next couple of years were stories on if what he did was right or wrong and whether he should have a job in the NFL again.