America is experiencing racial tension. It’s no secret.
Turn on the news, and you will be bombarded: Black Lives Matter. Blue Lives Matter. All Lives Matter. In an age of around-the-clock news, it can be suffocating.
Last week, the tension spilled into the NFL.
Colin Kaepernick, the former starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, chose not to stand for the singing of the national anthem before Friday’s preseason game against the Green Bay Packers.
“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” he said in a postgame interview. “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.”
Predictably, Kaepernick’s controversial actions and comments sent the internet into a frenzy.
Almost immediately, people flew to opposite ends of the spectrum to either passionately defend or incinerate him, leaving little room for gray area and nuance.
But as is often the case, this issue is not cut and dry. It entails deeper inquiry.
First, it is important to make something clear: As an American, Colin Kaepernick absolutely has the right to choose not to stand for the national anthem if he doesn’t want to.
Above all, what makes this country special is the deliberate protection of its citizens’ ability to have dissenting opinions. Without discourse, society remains stagnant. Progress is prohibited.
Kaepernick perceives injustice and is willing to say it. I commend him for that.
Many public figures, especially athletes, shy away from standing up for their beliefs in fear of public backlash and financial ramifications, which can include potentially losing endorsements.
But professional athletes are gifted a tremendous platform and wield considerable influence. If they feel compelled to voice their opinions, I respect and encourage that.
Yet, even taking all that into consideration, I strongly disagree with Kaepernick’s decision to sit during the national anthem.
Is this country perfect? No. Certainly not. America has come a long way, but there is still considerable room for improvement. And while we are given the right to free speech in the First Amendment, it has come at a significant cost.
Kaepernick only has the liberty to play football because hundreds of thousands of people have lost their lives protecting this country. Millions more have served. Blood has been spilled to protect our freedom so I can write this column and you can read it. That sacrifice is something we frequently take for granted, myself included.
Not standing for the national anthem is a blatant sign of disrespect to those men, women and their families. Most of them we will never know; their stories have been lost with the inevitable passing of time. But they were real people. They were fathers, brothers and husbands; mothers, sisters and wives. Yet, many are now only a number in a history textbook.
That is why I will stand, with my hand over my heart, whenever I hear the national anthem. It’s a small token of gratitude to the people who died, who I will never get the chance to thank in person.
I understand where Kaepernick is coming from. The current racial strife in this country is serious and cannot be ignored. But in a time when America is desperate for unity, Kaepernick failed to stand up as a leader.
Brian Lee is a UF English senior. His column appears on Thursdays.
