SPANISH HARLEM, NY – I wonder what it feels like to be Colin Kaepernick when criminals are celebrated for making the most of their second chances, yet he’s the pariah. Some fans can’t wait to get their favorite players back from steroid suspension but want this guy nowhere near a football field. It’s crazy to think that for all the bad things that athletes have done, Kaepernick is the guy that worries NFL owners and executives about fan opinion.
Since I was a kid people have asked athletes to be more social, more active in the community. More human. We want to understand them more and get to know them on a deeper level because we feel it’s our right. We pay for tickets to games, we watch them on TV and buy their jersey. We are basically the reason they make the most money of any profession, so we want more from our athletes. Then when someone like Kaepernick comes around and talks about inequality and people take notice of the injustice, some say “Just play the sport and shut up.” Why is that?
I find it hard to believe that one minute we want more from our athletes but when we don’t understand or agree with the cause, we want them to stifle it and score. I won’t sit here and talk politics… or about what I feel when I hear people tell me what’s un-American, because that’s an argument for another day. But to think that there isn’t a spot for Kaepernick on an NFL team is ludicrous. People have stated that he is not very good or too good to be a back-up. What does that mean anyway? You telling me that a team wouldn’t want a back-up quarterback that’s capable of starting? Teams are staying away from him like the plague and some fans hate him, but just last year his Jersey was a top seller. It’s excuse after excuse and I’m tired of it. I’m not saying I’ll be going to the rally on August 28th but I don’t blame those people that want to help him. It seems so unfair and it shows people care about the issues he felt so strongly about. He may have not gone about everything the right way but the message was delivered and that’s what important.
Changing gears, I would like to give my take on LaVar Ball… though his kids seem well-adjusted, what he continues to do to the other kids on his AAU team is a travesty. He pulls his team off the court for games because the referees make calls that he doesn’t agree with. Oh, and don’t give him a technical foul because he knows the game better than everyone and wont’t stand for it. This is supposed to be an opportunity for the kids on his team to play and show the potential they have. For some of these kids, this is their shot to prove they can play with some of the best in country. It’s a shame that he is taking that away from them.
This is not about you LaVar! Stop being a jackass and shut your mouth… let the kids play!
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