I do not like football. I don’t think I’ve ever gone to a football game. If I needed to name three teams to save my life, well, this would likely be the last sentence I ever wrote.
However, there is something happening forcing me to take notice of this brain-cell-ruining game: Colin Kaepernick’s unemployment. Or more accurately, his free agent status.
In case you missed it, the 29-year-old came under scrutiny for his decision to bend the knee in protest during the national anthem. Kaepernick was met with support from some, but considerable backlash from others. Some have suggested the decline in television ratings for the NFL is due to Kaepernick’s protest. Now, Mr. Kaepernick is finding it difficult to find a team to risk brain damage for. We’re a few weeks away from the start of the season, and we all know he’s good enough to be a backup quarterback for one of the 32 NFL teams…
It’s truly fascinating and infuriating what coaches and fans find to be unacceptable behavior because unpopular opinion time: The National Football League is an absolute joke. A dumpster fire of an institution. Don’t believe me? Let’s take a look at their wonderful role models. We could talk about Ray Rice, who originally faced a mere two game suspension for beating his fiance before the hotel video altered his fate. Or we could talk about Adrian Peterson, the father of the year who left his four-year-old cut and bruised and still dawns the title of RB for the New Orleans Saints. And then there’s Pittsburgh’s own beloved Big Ben, who’s had his share of hiccups off the field. Since unfortunately the NFL’s zero tolerance policy for domestic violence is more for show than anything else, I could go on and on. I know, I know… #notallplayers, just far too many players.
According to the powers that be in the NFL you may participate in the torture of animals (unless the law intervenes and decides you need to serve some time). You can beat your significant other. You may beat your child so badly they end up in the hospital. You can haze your teammates, but do not talk about said hazing because kids, “real men take it quietly.”
I suppose they don’t care that many of their players would fit right into an episode of Criminal Minds or Law and Order: SVU because frankly, they have very little incentive to. So, until it hurts their ticket sales or ratings, their players will be allowed to continue doing whatever they want to whomever they want, as long as they don’t damage their throwing arms or running legs.
We put athletes on pedestals. We conflate the ability to score touchdowns and run fast with being a good person. We put winning games ahead of accountability and basic human decency. The NFL often looks the other way because at this point, they likely understand that as long as their bad boy players can still show up to games, the general public will have no qualms about buying jerseys and filling the stands.
So, NFL, let’s be clear about this—a player bending the knee to protest systemic inequality is the least horrifying thing one of your employees has done this decade.
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