Colin Kaepernick is a popular former NFL athlete that was blackballed because of his decision to take a stand against police brutality with the heinous murder of George Floyd; by kneeling during the national anthem. Within a matter of seconds after his peaceful protest, he was hit with so much backlash. Although many people understood exactly why he chose to protest the way he did, several people accused him of disrespecting the flag, and thought that he should be less worried about protesting during the games. Social media was in a frenzy with everyone explaining their views on whether he should be able to protest. The idea of “freedom of expression” was starting to be analyzed, and ratings were starting to decrease. Following Kaepernick’s bold statement before the game, other athletes took suit by kneeling in solidarity with him. Most media outlets enhanced the impact of the silent protests by showing how it was becoming a chain reaction with more athlete’s (even from other leagues) speaking out on issues faced by minorities.
The silent protests made every news station as the National Football League was becoming one of the biggest platforms for players to express their disagreement with what was happening within society. Press conferences were also used to promote awareness for victims of police brutality. Nike made a big leap by deciding to endorse Kaepernick after all the controversy. The advertisement generated $43 million worth of media exposure that changed the game for companies engaging in corporate social responsibility initiatives. Athletes showed that their platform is greater than just being a player on a team. Social media catapulted the player’s platforms by reaching broader audiences and starting the conversation about the problems with police brutality in the black community.
Kaepernick made other players more comfortable to speak about their beliefs. The individuals that participated in the protests did not focus on how they were perceived by the media because they did not stop their protests in spite of the negative backlash. Kaepernick was noticeably blackballed from the league which could have caused others to want to resort to other forms of protesting due to worrying that their livelihood would be impacted. Colin Kaepernick is currently working on projects to promote change!
