SI has named COLIN KAEPERNICK as the ’17 recipient of its Muhammad Ali Legacy Award, recognizing him for his social activism and philanthropic work. Kaepernick will be honored Dec. 5 in Brooklyn during SI’s Sportsperson of the Year ceremony at Barclays Center. SI’s Legacy Award was created in ’08, and renamed in honor of Ali in ’15. “There will be never be another Ali, but few athletes have followed his example as fully as Colin Kaepernick,” said SI Exec Editor STEPHEN CANNELLA. “In this noisy political and media environment, it’s easy to forget his core message: that all people in this country deserve to be treated with dignity, respect and recognition of their civil rights. Too often that message has been lost in the debate over how it is expressed. Colin has sacrificed much in the name of that message.” Joining Kaepernick at the SI ceremony will be 76ers C JOEL EMBIID, who will receive the Rising Star Award recognizing the best up-and-coming athlete; recently retired MLBer CARLOS BELTRAN, who will be recognized with the Hope Award, which honors athletes giving back; and Lynx F MAYA MOORE, who will be given a newly created Performer of the Year award for her play leading the team to this year’s WNBA title. The Sportsperson of the Year Award itself will be announced early next week (Eric Fisher, Staff Writer). NBC Sports Bay Area's Ray Ratto said, "He should be very proud of that. Probably more proud than of anything he did in football, because this matters more" ("The Happy Hour," NBC Sports Bay Area, 11/30). FS1's Eric Davis: "What Kap did just got close to $100M. They're getting themselves into position where these owners are willing to put that money into the community. They would not have done this if not for Kap taking that knee" ("Speak For Yourself," FS1, 11/30).
SUPPORTING KAP: CNN.com's Hunter Schwarz noted as part of the NFL's "My Cause, My Cleats" campaign, Titans WR RISHARD MATTHEWS on Sunday will wear cleats in support of Kaepernick's "Know Your Rights Camp" campaign. Matthews in a social media post wrote, "He has paid the ultimate sacrifice in order to bring true everyday issues to light" (CNN.com, 11/30). ESPN.com's Cameron Wolfe noted Matthews has "followed Kaepernick in protesting social injustice and racial inequality during the national anthem" (ESPN.com, 11/29).
