LA Chargers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh Offered Colin Kaepernick Coaching Gig
Colin Kaepernick considers a coaching role with Jim Harbaugh, raising questions about a potential return to the NFL and his ongoing impact on social justice. We discuss it here!
Colin Kaepernick attends 2024 Annual Gordon Parks Foundation Gala at Cipriani 42nd street in New York on May 21, 2024
Credit: lev radin
By: Joshua Martin
The good trouble civil rights activist, Colin Kaepernick, was offered a coaching opportunity by his former head coach and mentor. Some are wondering if this could be a way “Cap” sees some playing time this season. Interestingly enough, the social justice warrior hasn’t wavered on the idea of a return.
“Yeah, we talked a little bit about it. He’s considering it. He was out of the country. He said he was going to get back to me. We haven’t reconnected since then. That was early, early in the year. ”
Why is this noteworthy? On Aug. 26, 2016, Colin began sitting during the national anthem. After the game, Kaepernick shared his thoughts on the recent injustices and why he chose to sit during the anthem.
“It is to protest the injustices that are happening in America, the oppression that is happening in America… ”
The following Sunday after famously speaking with U.S. Army veteran Nate Boyer, Kaepernick took a knee alongside his 49ers teammates. Images that will live forever.
SInce that time, the free agent quarterback has been trying to get back on the field as a player, though it’s been widely speculated that he's been blackballed. One thing that’s unclear is how the NFL would respond to Kaepernick in the role of a coach. If he ever reconnects with Harbaugh, his potential to influence as a coach would manifest differently than as a player. Challenging his alleged “blackballing” streak.
“I mean, it’s something I’ve trained my whole life for. So, to be able to step back on the field would be a major moment, a major accomplishment for me. I think it’s something that I could bring a lot to a team and help them win a championship. ”
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We Don’t Need Sports, We Need Action
Sports have always been an avenue to invoke pride and change to matters at hand, but as athletes are coming together to spread awareness on necessary racial issues, professional sports may need to take a backseat.
By: Baigen Seawell
After three months, George Floyd’s legacy still rings, Breonna Taylor’s Killers (Johnathan Mattingly, Brett Hankinson, and Myles Cosgrove) are still not indicted, and now the shooting of Jacob Blake has forced people to take the blinders off.
Sports is and always has been an avenue to invoke pride and change to matters at hand. It’s brought us together when Katrina ripped through New Orleans, or when we had to recover from the September 11th Attacks.
But on the flip side, for many years, sports and athletes alike have been forced to keep quiet on intersections that affect them personally, race and gender being the top two. As a people, the narrative is that because we had Jackie Robinsons and Michael Jordans and Florence Griffith-Joyners, there is no racism or sexism to deal with, especially not in sport.
Athletes such as Muhammad Ali, Colin Kaepernick, and Serena Williams show time and time again that there are things that need to be dealt with, and they have dealt with them with poise and restraint. But after the constant turmoil and tensions boiling over the symbolic pot holding in all of the extended experiences that Black athletes face before, during and after their participation...there is little restraint in this matter.
Over the past 72 hours, athletes throughout the NBA have boycotted playing in playoff appearances. This is different from mentioning names in press conferences and post game interviews, or wearing HBCU apparel to raise awareness. Sports are going to grind to a halt, whether people accept it or not.
Former NBA legends Kareem Abdul Jabar and Bill Russell went on strike during their time, and as the boycott ensues, this will be the first true strike collectively, excluding the four prior NBA lockouts throughout the league’s history.
This is a major and pivotal moment in athlete activism because acknowledging intersections in athletes has been frowned upon in professional and amateur athletes. Athletes should “just play...” but in a world of social distancing, civil unrest and rising tensions, how can one focus on just playing when you are isolated in thought, in presence (in your respected bubble, or wubble) and in spirit? When the jersey comes off, reality sets in.
Athletes of Color, specifically Black athletes are subject to stacking, targeting, and are faced with sociological backlash regularly. Be it Black athletes being acknowledged for their physical nature instead of intellect, like their white counterparts, or being prevented equal pay and opportunities due to the gender gap… or finally, witnessing violence against our fellow Black people. Things have been sliding for entirely too long over these three months, and it’s time to bring things to a screeching halt.
Policy changes have been delayed for the sake of bringing things back to “normal,” however, things cannot and will not be returning to normal.
Sports can no longer be used to assuage the mind state of those who use it as a tool to keep citizens pacified, as it did for centuries in numerous cultures. We cannot use the dramatic spectacle to pretend that this is normal, because none of this is normal. Sports should not have come back, nor should they have been considered to resume.
As players continue to boycott, tensions keep rising, and the ball is now in the court of policy makers, general managers and league commissioners everywhere to make the decision of how to invoke action and facilitate change...without using sport as a scapegoat.
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Nike Releases "Just Do It" Commerical With Colin Kaepernick At The Lead
The NFL will have to sit back and watch as its biggest sponsor, Nike, will display their “Just Do It'“ commercial featuring Colin Kaepernick during a Thursday night matchup between the Falcons and Eagles.
By: Omar Cook
The NFL season kicks off tonight with a week 1 matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Atlanta Falcons for a Thursday night matchup, but that's not even the real headline! Nike released its new commercial with Colin Kaepernick at the lead as he narrates the whole commercial! The even bigger catch is that Nike plans on showcasing it during the NFL opener tonight! LOL.
This is real reality tv. The NFL who has pretty much blackballed Kaepernick out of the league for protesting during the national anthem, will have to sit back and watch as its biggest sponsor puts Kaepernick on full display. This is a real life example of when you don't do right by someone, it comes back to you. The irony.
The commercial itself is a dope production, and if you aren't inspired by it or have something negative to say about it, there's a major chance that you're just a hater. People have been talking about a boycott of the NFL for some time now, but they are also calling for a boycott of Nike. Good luck. There have been a lot of naysayers about Nike making Kaepernick their head man for their "Just Do it" campaign, and none bigger than the president himself.
Check out the full Nike "Just Do It" commercial featuring Colin Kaepernick here!
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Nike's Decision To Feature Colin Kaepernick Has People Choosing Sides
Nike’s decision to feature Colin Kaepernick in their 30th anniversary campaign of their “Just Do It” motto has people choosing sides! What’s the real issue? We discuss it here!
“We believe Colin is one of the most inspirational athletes of this generation, who has leveraged the power of sport to help move the world forward”
By: Omar Cook
This might be one of the biggest plot twists of the year. Colin Kaepernick, who is currently suing NFL owners for allegedly conspiring to blackball him from the league, is the face of Nike's 30th anniversary campaign of their "Just Do It" motto. This is a bold statement coming from a major sports company, the same sports company that sponsors the NFL's uniforms. Sheesh.
Colin Kaepernick - Nike "Just Do It" Campaign
Kaepernick has been on the endorsement roster since 2011 but hasn't been actively used within the company in the past 2 years, so this is major unexpected news to the sports world. Nike has not shied away from taking a controversial stand in sports as it just recently supported Serena Williams and her decision to wear a black Nike catsuit despite it being officially banned from the future play at the French Open.
With today's political atmosphere, it's become increasingly difficult to keep politics out of the sports world and differences in opinions have fans choosing sides. With Nike making this bold decision to openly support Kaepernick, some consumers have begun to say that they will no longer support the brand and some have gone as far as even burning their Nike gear or cutting out logos. I mean seriously? Does it really make you that upset that a company would show their support for him? It makes you upset that a man stood up for something he believed in?
>> RELATED: The NFL Is The New Sunken Place
People aren't even hiding their racism anymore. It's been 2 whole years since Kaepernick started his protests for racial injustice and people are still asking, WHY he decided to kneel during the anthem! People are still using the same played out narrative that what he is doing is disrespectful to the military. I'm convinced of 2 things; 1) That certain people really just don't care what the truth is and want to keep convincing themselves that racism doesn't exist and 2) that basic reading comprehension is not a common skill for Americans. The information about what the protests are about is out, BEEN out there. People just pick and choose what narrative fits their mindset.
>> RELATED: The NFL’s New Policy Tells Black People Their Lives Do Not Matter
Trying to convince certain people that what Kaepernick is doing is the right thing is like talking to a wall. There are people that even try to compare him to military members by saying he isn't a true patriot because he took a knee during pregame; that real patriots are sacrificing their lives in the military and not just acting out as a "privileged" football player. These are the keyboard warriors of America. The people that would never have the courage to do what he did but have the audacity to say he isn't a true patriot. Keyword warriors, what have you done for this country that's so great? This is not 1950. Black people have a voice and whether you like it or not, it's going to be heard.
It's time for more major companies like Nike to make statements like this that push our country forward in support of justice for all. Despite these people saying they will never buy NIke again, truly I believe Nike will be ok. This is a worldwide brand that extends past racist Americans. Thank you Nike for standing up for people of color, as this is a huge step forward.
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The NFL’s New Policy Tells Black People Their Lives Do Not Matter
It’s no secret that police brutality disproportionately affects the lives of people of color, specifically African Americans. So why does the NFL turn a blind eye? Deveney Marshall discusses how the NFL’s new policy tells black people their lives do not matter!
It’s no secret that police brutality disproportionately affects the lives of people of color, specifically African-American people. I can remember being a little girl and seeing police officers hanging around in high-risk crimes areas, I used to believe they were doing their jobs and protecting us from the bad people. Then I grew up, and realized just how oppressing this country is to all of its’ non-white citizens. I noticed police officers were not hanging in high crimes areas, but in areas that were highly populated with Black residents and they were looking for excuses to turn those people into yet another statistic.
For a very long time most people turned a blind-eye to this type of oppression. Then social media took over and people began to record the mishandlings done by police officers and upload them. After awhile it became difficult for non-believers to deny police brutality was a real problem in this country and the differences in how Black people were treated by the police compared to their racial counterparts.
Following the numerous killings of black people by the hands of police officers and no real justice being served for their murders, the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter was coined. People all around the world began to chant the phrase when yet another black person’s life was taken due to police brutality. However, the hashtag was not well met by everyone.
Once the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter became very popular due to social media and college activists, it was plagued with some heavy scrutiny. Ill-informed individuals felt as if the hashtag was anti-white and prioritized the lives of black people over everyone else. They critiqued the hashtag as creating more of a division than being the political statement against police brutality it was. Some even went as far as replacing the black in the hashtag with blue to show their support for officers, further proving they missed the entire point of the protest or just didn’t care.
After the countless displays of disrespect for Black people’s lives, on September 1st, 2016 Colin Kaepernick, the quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, decided to take a knee during the national anthem to silently protest the police brutality taking place around the country. Although Kaepernick acted within his constitutional and civil right to protest as an American citizen, he was met with criticism that sparked a national debate about the right way to protest. Following the scrutiny Kaepernick’s received, he publicly spoke on why he felt the protest was necessary stating:
"I have great respect for the men and women that have fought for this country. I have family, I have friends that have gone and fought for this country. And they fight for freedom, they fight for the people, they fight for liberty and justice, for everyone. That’s not happening. People are dying in vain because this country isn’t holding their end of the bargain up, as far as giving freedom and justice, liberty to everybody. That’s something that’s not happening. I’ve seen videos, I’ve seen circumstances where men and women that have been in the military have come back and been treated unjustly by the country they fought have for, and have been murdered by the country they fought for, on our land. That’s not right."
Still, after giving this concise statement, he was continuously met with negative remarks. Instead of the focus being on why he was kneeling in the the first place, the conversation became more centered around Kaepernick’s disrespect towards the flag and people in service. Criticizers made it their missions to misunderstand his protest, just as they did with the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag.
However, Kaepernick didn’t allow the criticism of his protest to stop him. He continued to kneel at every game for the entire 16/17 season. His political stance to stand-up to the wrong-doings of this country, sparked something in others that viewed this country the same way that he did. Other athletes began to take a knee, and after awhile the dialogue finally became about the real problem.
Following the 16/17 season, Kaepernick was released from the 49ers, and another team refused to sign him as a quarterback for the upcoming 17/18 season, which lead to an uproar of people everywhere deciding it was officially time to take a stand against not only this country’s mistreatment, but the inner-workings of it as well, like the NFL. Finally, NFL players made the collective decision to take a knee and join Kaepernick’s protest.
For the entire 17/18 season footballs players across the league participated in taking a knee, and some were even joined by their team owners as well. However, once again, the conversation steered away from why people were protesting and became more about the act of protesting itself. Critics of the #TakeAKnee movement argued football players had to no right to involve themselves in politics and to just “stick to football.” Some even went as far as to say football players weren’t intellectual enough to partake in such a layered conversation. Undermining the fact that many of these men are college educated and face adversities such as police brutality.
Once the 17/18 season was completed, and the NFL was gearing up for the upcoming 18/19 season, the league came to the agreement to put a policy in place to fine all football players who decided to take a knee on the field during the national anthem.
When the news broke that the NFL was putting this policy in place, I remember feeling so unbelievably upset. Taking a knee is probably one of the most peaceful ways a person could protest, yet it being chastised as if it was a violent act. The implementing of this policy spoke volumes about how the league viewed not only black lives, but the livelihoods of its’ many black players.
As I dissected why the NFL would enforce this policy, nothing truly substantial came to mind. All I could think about was how 1. This was a way for the league to capitalize on the pain of black people; 2. This was the league’s very coy way of saying “shut up, and just play ball; and 3. How all the above was just another way to reiterate to black people everywhere that our lives did not matter.
Often, this country tells black people in every way that our lives are not as valued as the lives of other races. Whether it’s subliminally with policies like this one that penalizes us for questioning our oppression or us being blatantly taunted and killed and never receiving justice for it, america makes it very clear where it stands. At this point as a black American I am downright “sick and tired of being sick and tired.” Our existence as black people is not a burden. However, that is not how the NFL or the world sees it. Sadly enough, Black lives only matter if they are not compromising profits and the comforts of non-black people.
*Deveney Marshall is a New Orleans-based filmmaker, actress, and freelance writer. She runs the lifestyle & beauty website thedevandthecity.com . Follow her thoughts & life on twitter and IG: @devandthecity
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The NFL Is The New Sunken Place
Stand up or get fined. Shut up and play. Tell us how you really feel NFL. Where is the disconnect?
Aldon Smith is introduced by Commissioner of the National Football League Roger Goodell as the seventh pick to the San Francisco 49ers at the NFL Draft 2011 at Radio City Music Hall in New York, NY.
Credit: Debby Wong via Shutterstock
The NFL, the National Football League, the field of dreams! Let's call it for what it is, it's the actual sunken place. The NFL as a corporation is trash. The commissioner, trash. The owners, super trash. And the President who endorses all the bs surrounding the league, is the garbage collector.
"You have to stand proudly for the National Anthem and the NFL owners did the right thing if that's what they've done," stated Trump in an interview with Fox News. "You have to stand proudly for the National Anthem or you shouldn't be playing. You shouldn't be there. Maybe you shouldn't be in the country."
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell instituted a new policy that will require NFL players to stand for the anthem or face fines, with the alternative option of staying in the locker room. This is the equivalent of shut up and play, and completely ignores the entire agenda of why players were kneeling in the first place.
Black players make up nearly 70 percent of the NFL. Out of 32 teams, there are only 8 black head coaches. Even more staggering is that out of 32 teams, there are ZERO black owners. So here lies the problem; black players are being used purely for entertainment purposes only and are a minority in terms of true leadership positions in the NFL. This new policy which is supported by the commissioner and its owners is a way to silence the voice of the players, and save face for the league which is trying to protect its fan base and finances.
This is all about money. The NFL tv ratings were down 9.7 percent in 2017, mainly due to fans being upset over players kneeling during the anthem. A policy such as this shows that the NFL truly has no loyalty to the players, no true integrity to American values and freedom of speech, and that they only care about ratings and money. It's a business, sure, but at what point do you begin to show respect for your employees?
At a time where racial tensions and issues are rising, black players have chosen to use their platform to bring awareness to social injustices in black communities, police brutality, and racial issues. Still, there are fans and obviously executives within the league who either can't comprehend what the protests are about, or simply just don't want to.
The NFL refuses to acknowledge the collective voice of its black players, so maybe it's time the black players ignored the NFL. What will it take for black players to truly take a stand and collectively sit out a few games until some real change is made, or is the paycheck that comes with playing more important than the stand they are trying to make? If even half the black players sat out for a game, there would be no game. How much of a backbone do you really have, players? Because clearly the league doesn't have one and they don't want you to have one either.
There are fans who still can't clearly comprehend the reason the players are protesting in the first place. But It’s not that they can’t comprehend it, they just refuse to acknowledge the reality behind the protests. The notion that they are there purely for entertainment and should protest on their own time is tone deaf. If the same issues were happening consistently in the white community, we wouldn’t be having these discussions.
Protests are not meant to be done at a specific time that’s convenient to certain, but meant to gather your attention. Black people never have a choice at a given time that they have to endure whatever problems they deal with, so the convenience of the players protesting by kneeling is unfortunate to some because it somehow messes up their "entertainment." Now let's be clear, we all love the entertainment factor that sports and football brings, but at the end of the day there are more important things in life which is what these players are trying to bring attention to.
Here’s the kicker, if black people started rioting in the streets and beating up police officers the way they beat us, shoot up schools the way these kids are doing now, we would be seen as animals. But they have merely chose to protest in a peaceful manner and it’s become a major deal. But still, there are people who have chosen to ignore the issues, but put their focus on the actual action of kneeling during the anthem, which is apparently disrespectful to them. Black people feeling disrespected is cool as long as they protest in a manner thats not disrespectful to you?
The NFL is already facing criticism for the poor product they put on the field as a result of new rule changes, and this new policy is only going to make it worse. Certain NFL players have begun to speak up on twitter and interviews, but is just simply speaking up enough?
The NFL has made its move, now what will you do? You still watching?
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Meet Joshua Martin, Senior Video Editor for 247 Live Culture!
Email: Joshua@247LCTV.com