The 49ers yesterday announced that QB Colin Kaepernick would start Sunday's game against the Bills, and his "much-publicized bid to light a fire under a national discussion about social equality and societal justice" now comes "even more sharply into focus," according to Martin Rogers of USA TODAY. It is "one thing taking a stand, or a knee in this case, as a backup." It is "quite another to do so as one of only 32 men handed the steering wheel of an NFL franchise and its fan base's hopes and dreams each weekend." As a QB, there are "more eyes, more cameras, more scrutiny, and a direct line to the American public every Sunday." Kaepernick's message "suddenly got louder -- because he has a higher platform to shout it from" (USA TODAY, 10/12). In N.Y., Ebenezer Samuel writes Kaepernick, who was "never going to be silenced, may find ways to amplify his voice even more" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 10/12). ESPN's Ed Werder said, "He doesn't just go away anymore now, like he used to as the backup. Now he's on the field every play." ESPN's Tim Hasselbeck: "It's one thing that he kneels for the Anthem and then he's not playing. Everyone kind of forgets about him until he's looking at the tablet on the sideline" ("NFL Live," ESPN, 10/11). ESPN's Michael Wilbon said, "This is the biggest deal of the year in the NFL" ("PTI," ESPN, 10/11). USA TODAY's Jarrett Bell writes Kaepernick is the NFL's "most polarizing player," a "leader or a pariah, depending on one's worldview." Now that he is starting again, Kaepernick is "really free to speak his mind." Bell: "Here we are at the intersection of sport and sociology" (USA TODAY, 10/12).
TO THE POLLS: In DC, Mark Maske cites a poll by Quinnipiac Univ. as saying that opinion is "sharply divided along racial lines around the country about the propriety" of National Anthem protests made by athletes. The telephone survey found that 54% of American adults "disapprove of the protests," while 38% approve. However, 74% of African-American adults approve of the athletes' Anthem protests, compared to only 30% of white respondents. The disapproval rate was 17% for African Americans and 63% for white adults. Quinnipiac said that it "surveyed 1,391 adults nationwide by phone Oct. 7-9." The poll "has a margin of sampling error" of plus or minus 2.6% (WASHINGTON POST, 10/12).
OPEN DIALOGUE: The N.Y. TIMES MAGAZINE's Jay Caspian Kang writes in the nearly two months that have passed since Kaepernick started kneeling for the Anthem, the "method and impact of athletes' protests have evolved." Gestures, however "solemn and sincere, now require an antagonistic directness that translates easily to television or social media." To "hold the public's attention, it's no longer enough" for the Seahawks to "link arms and make a video about 'unity' or for Cam Newton to wear a T-shirt printed with a quote from Martin Luther King Jr." The sorts of statements that "capture the popular imagination now aren't echoes from the past but images that show defiance or expressions rooted in the personal." The "viral amplification of Kaepernick's individual action has inspired many athletes to reveal what they might have always felt but feared to say out loud." Kaepernick's protest could be shown to someone who has "never seen a football game or heard the national anthem or has no concept of race relations in this country, and the viewer would immediately understand the dynamics at work." The person kneeling had "chosen to set himself apart from the group and had done so peacefully." The pose and its meaning "are easy to replicate" (N.Y. TIMES MAGAZINE, 10/16 issue).
RESPONSE TO GINSBURG: In San Jose, Elliott Almond notes Kaepernick yesterday "struck back at Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg," who this week called his protest "'dumb' and 'disrespectful.'" Kaepernick: "It is disappointing to hear a Supreme Court justice call a protest against injustices and oppression 'stupid, dumb' in reference to players doing that." Kaepernick said that he "understands how some people's emotions are tied to the symbolism of U.S. flag." However, Kaepernick said, "People are getting too caught up in the flag. At the end of the day the flag is just a piece of cloth and I am not going to value a piece of cloth over people's lives. That's just not something I can do, it's not something I feel morally right doing and my character won't allow me to do that" (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 10/12).
