The biggest storyline in the NFL right now is San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s protest for oppressed Americans which has led to his decision to kneel during the national anthem.
During a press conference at the G20 summit in China, President Barack Obama finally addressed Kaepernick’s protest and he stands behind the quarterback having a “constitutional right” to not stand up during the anthem.
Obama went on to praise Kaepernick for his “active citizenry.”
“You’ve heard me talk about the past need for us to have an ‘active citizenry.’ Sometimes that’s messy and controversial and gets people angry and frustrated, but I’d rather have young people who are engaged in the argument and trying to think through how they can be part of our democratic process than people who are just sitting on the sidelines and not paying attention at all,” Obama said.
You cannot deny Kaepernick has the right to do what he is doing and he is achieving his goal of getting people to talk about racial issues in the country. That is a step forward in the right direction.
You can read Obama’s full statement below:
“In terms of Mr. Kaepernick, I’ve got to confess that I haven’t been thinking about football while I’ve been over here and I haven’t been following this closely, but my understanding, at least, is that he’s exercising his Constitutional right to make a statement. I think there’s a long history of sports figures doing so. I think there are a lot of ways you can do it. As a general matter, when it comes to the flag, and the national anthem, and the meaning it holds for our men and women in uniform and those who fought for us, that is a tough thing for them to get past, to then hear what his deeper concerns are. But I don’t doubt his sincerity, based on what I’ve heard. I think he cares about some real, legitimate issues that have to be talked about. And if nothing else, what he’s done is he’s generated more conversation around some topics that need to be talked about. You’ve heard me talk about the past need for us to have an ‘active citizenry.’ Sometimes that’s messy and controversial and gets people angry and frustrated, but I’d rather have young people who are engaged in the argument and trying to think through how they can be part of our democratic process than people who are just sitting on the sidelines and not paying attention at all.”
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