Kaepernick takes a knee at SD game during anthem
Quarterback Colin Kaepernick, of the 49ers, sat down during the playing of the national anthem before the pre-season game against the Chargers on Sept. 1 at Qualcomm Stadium. Photo by Gabe Rivera
September 1, 2016
As the San Diego hosted San Francisco for the final preseason game of the year Thursday night at Qualcomm Stadium, all eyes were on 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
Kaepernick has received criticism for his decision to protest police brutality and social inequalities by not standing for the national anthem before the start of games. He had said that he would continue his protest for the remainder of the season until a change comes in the country.
The quaterback was welcomed to Qualcomm by San Diegans with a resounding boo. Instead of sitting down, this time he took a knee and was joined by a fellow 49er, starting safety Eric Reid, who also took a knee during the anthem.
The heckling lasted throughout the first half and every time Kaepernick touched the football he was met with a sea of boo birds.
As the controversy built in recent days, many people said they felt that he is disrespecting the flag and the men and women of the military that fight for American freedoms. Others said they felt that it is exactly what Kaepernick is doing which the military fights for, like the right to peaceful protest.
Kaepernick rebutted by letting people know that he was not taking a stand against the military, but rather he was standing up for African-Americans and other minorities to give them a voice and platform that otherwise could not be reached.
In Thursday night’s game, the quarterback cheered and clapped for veterans who were being recognized in the crowd.
The quarterback’s protest appeared to be spreading. Other players from other teams were spotted Thursday night possibly joining the protest. Seahawks cornerback Jeremy Lane sat in their game against the Raiders throughout the singing of the anthem.
Meanwhile, the 49ers beat the Chargers, 31-21. The Chargers ended the exhibition season 1-3. They begin the regular season Sept. 11 on the road in Kansas City against the Chiefs.
aberty • Sep 11, 2016 at 10:01 pm
I don’t even watch sports anymore. OJ used to be the man when I was a kid, and look what happened to him. Now this afro-wearing dude is making a statement about something that no one knows what. I mean, a black man is president now, what could this dude be mad about?
Remember Mercury Morris? He was worshiped just about as much as OJ, both their names were immediately recognized.
Obama’s down to two more months or something, then Trump’ll fix things all up. Just like what happened when Reagan took the White House from Carter and Iran coughed up the hostages just that fast. Speaking of which, I still have my mom’s yearbook when she went to college before integration. You don’t see campuses like that any more. But integration: does that mean invite all these foreigners into American campuses? Integrated America means let all kind of immigrants, legal and illegal, into the nation and its schools? America had an excellent school system until the 1950’s or so. Now we see this.
It’s not about racism. It’s about treason.