A liberal sports writer who long ago joined team Kaepernick is now moving the goal posts about just what the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback was doing with his year-long, anti-American protest. Now, the columnist is claiming Colin Kaepernick was “protesting capitalism.”
Kaepernick started the 2016 NFL season by refusing to stand during the playing of the national anthem at the start of each game. He claimed he was doing it because America is racist and he wanted to show support for the violent Black Lives Matter movement. Throughout the year he variously said police are racists and called them “pigs,” and claimed that the U.S. was never great. He spent the entire season tweeting anti-American slogans and attacking the country and our first responders on Twitter and in interviews.
But, by the end of the season, when he became a free agent, Kaepernick suddenly decided that his “principles” were not strict enough to stop him from announcing an end to his protests. He added that if taken on by a new team he would stop his protests.
Despite his sudden change of heart, no team was willing to pick him up for 2017 and thus far he awaits a serious suitor.
This week the Kaepernick controversy was unearthed again when former NFL player Michael Vick said that Colin might find a new team if he cut down his giant afro and shaved his scruffy beard so as to look more presentable.
Vick’s comments set off the next round of outraged editorials by left-wing sports writers, such as USA Today’s Nancy Armour.
It yet another vitriolic column, Armour was back praising Kaepernick’s anti-American protests. but this time she even tried to help add to the reasons for the player’s anthem protests. Not only was he decrying racism, Armour said, but now Colin Kaepernick was also striking out against capitalism itself.
Firstly, at the top of her article Armour said she was incensed that anyone would suggest that Kaepernick should put the brakes on his anti-American protests.
Speaking of Vick’s claim that Colin should make himself “presentable” with a haircut and shave, Armour screeched,”Replace the word ‘presentable’ with ‘passive’ or ‘palatable’ and we’re getting somewhere.”
Armour then slammed Vick for his own unsavory past and insisted that he Vick the last person who should talk about Kaepernick.
“But Kaepernick has never done anything heinous or even criminal. His great sin wasn’t even disrespecting the anthem, the flag, the military or any of the other excuses that have been used over the last year to negate his message,” she wrote.
Of course, she is wrong with most of that. Colin Kaepernick absolutely intended to disrespect the anthem, the flag, and the nation. He said so repeatedly.
But Armour was also thrilled with the assessment of a liberal professor that Kaepernick was protesting capitalism.
“He attacked capitalism and the system that was created with systemic racism,” said Louis Moore, a history professor at Grand Valley State in Michigan and author of We Will Win the Day: The Civil Rights Movement, the Black Athlete and the Quest for Equality.
“His belief is, you solve this problem, the violence is going to take care of itself,” Moore said. “I think that’s what made people uncomfortable. It’s never acknowledged why racism and capitalism are intertwined.”
We know that Kaepernick was never protesting capitalism for several reasons. The quarterback made all sorts of anti-American pronouncements during his year-long protest. Further, at one point in the 2016 season it was announced that his jersey had become a best seller. Despite the announcement, not once did Kaepernick denounce the sales.
In fact, Kaepernick was happy to get the profits from sales of his jersey because he was able to donate that money to some of his favorite charities.
This was the player’s message to fans after his jersey sales report came in:
I want to thank everyone who has shown me love and support, it truly means a lot! I wasn’t expecting my jersey sales to jump to number one because of this, but it shows the people’s belief that we can achieve justice and equality for ALL! The only way I can repay you for the support is to return the favor by donating all the proceeds I receive from my jersey sales back into the communities! I believe in the people, and WE can be the change!
That is hardly a Marxist screed, eh? Instead of attacks on capitalism, the player was thankful for the uptick in sales.
Sadly, even people who claim to be reporters are now spinning an increasingly elaborate story for their hero, Colin Kaepernick. But the player who’s most likely motive for his protests was to forestall being traded instead of some stand on principle doesn’t need revisionism. He was pretty clear on his reasons in the first place.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com
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