Colin Kaepernick remains firm regarding stance on national anthem, refuses to stand

Colin Kaepernick doesn’t look like he’s going to back down anytime soon.

If it weren’t for Colin Kaepernick’s hot take on the national anthem, the main focus of the NFL preseason would be injured quarterbacks.

Instead, we’re talking about a quarterback turned activist.

This past July, Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul stood tall with fellow superstars Carmelo Anthony, Dwayne Wade, and LeBron James in a call to action directed at athletes.

Given recent tragedies, the four players let the world know how they felt at the ESPYS — and they didn’t hold back.

According to an excerpt documented by USA Today, here’s some of what Chris Paul had to say:

"“Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, Eric Garner, Laquan McDonald, Alton Sterling, Philando Castile. This is also our reality,” Paul said before listing off former athletes who have called for social change before them, including Muhammad Ali, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Billie Jean King. “They set a model what athletes should stand for, so we choose to follow in their footsteps.”"

During the speech, it was clear that the call to action was a golden opportunity for athletes to use their platform.

Colin Kaepernick has certainly found a way to use his platform to say the least.

After refusing to stand for the national anthem, Kaepernick didn’t hesitate to give an answer in defense of his actions.

Per a report from NFL.com:

"“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” Kaepernick told NFL Media in an exclusive interview after the game. “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.”"

Whatever your take is on whether or not Kaepernick’s actions are acceptable, it’s impossible to not take note of the fact that athletes are starting to be more vocal about social issues.

And Kaepernick is far from the first to do so.

In late July, members of the WNBA took exception to police incidents and used their platform of pre-game attire to let their voice be heard.

Shirts depicting hashtags associated with Black Lives Matter as well as the handful of police gunned down in Dallas were sported by the female athletes.

Going even further back to 2014, NBA players donned black t-shirts that stated “I can’t breathe” — the last words of one of the victims of police brutality.

The athletes that chose to show their support for the affected communities included LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Derrick Rose, among others.

So why are we surprised about Colin Kaepernick’s decision?

It’s easier to explain than you might think.

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In the instances where players wore shirts in both support and protest, it was taken as a unifying sign of the times.

Contrary to being divisive, it seemed much more obvious that the players wanted the country to move forward together, but understood what it took to get national attention.

With Kaepernick, there’s no room for a grey area — there’s black and white.

Literally.

And it’s because this time the country’s flag is involved, not just one’s political or social statement.

The seemingly starstruck San Francisco quarterback has every right to protest if he feels wronged — but that doesn’t mean you have to agree with him.

Trying to make everyone’s thoughts align on the issue is the impossible, unbelievable task at hand — not a quarterback who chooses to sit down.

Silence has gotten his message across, and after Thursday’s game in San Diego (his second sit-down), it appears other NFL stars are taking notice.

Fellow 49ers player Eric Reid knelt with Kaepernick in an apparent show of support while Seattle’s Jeremy Lane, in a separate game, remained on the bench as the anthem played.

Again, whether you agree with Kaepernick or not isn’t the issue.

The fact that athletes are willing to get involved in social issues is where the real discussion should be.

In addition to that, this is going to be something that we’ll see a lot more of in the near future.

Before we can say that Kaepernick has no right to complain because of how he’s benefited as an athlete or that he’s a martyr for free speech, we have to look at ourselves and how we’ve internalized those that we look up to in the sports world.

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We have to remember that they’re people too, otherwise we forget why we even cared in the first place.