He Took A Knee On The Field In Protest; And He Still Has No Team
Article Link:
http://www.npr.org/2017/08/10/542562923/he-took-a-knee-on-the-field-in-protest-now-he-has-no-team
Discussion Question(s):
Are NFL owners restricting Colin Kaepernick's chances of being an NFL quarterback?
John Mara one of the New York Giants owners wrote "All my years being in the league," Mara said, "I have never received more emotional mail from people than I did about that issue. [People wrote] 'If any of your players ever do that, we are never coming to another Giants game.' It wasn't one or two letters. It was a lot. It's an emotional, emotional issue for a lot of people, more so than any other issue I've run into."
Do you agree with John Mara? Would you write to your favortie team if an issue like this popped up?
I do believe that NFL owners are restricting Kaepernick's chances of being an NFL Quarterback. I also agree with Mara and I do not think that there is collusion between several owners; however, these owners are individually separating themselves from Kaepernick since they do not want to be associated with his ideals. They do not want the media drama, because signing Kaepernick would essentially mean supporting his ideals. Especially since Kaepernick has been a free agent for so long, MANY questions would arise about the decision to sign him when/if he gets signed. I do get where NFL owners are coming from about not wanting to sign Kaepernick because then they have to deal with tons of press. If Kaepernick had to deal with all of these intense, emotional issues while playing in the NFL, it would hurt him, and his team. However, what team wouldn't want to support the side of him that is a role model who wants to spark social change? More times often than not, people are afraid to talk about these issues because of the controversy. Wouldn't a team want a leader like Kaepernick?
ReplyDeleteI personally believe that NFL owners are restricting Colin Kaepernick's chances of being an NFL Quarterback, however I also believe that is it justified. Kaepernick's actions have come back to him with negative results, the fact that he is not being signed to an NFL team this season. The main aspect that contributes to the lacking willingness these teams have to take him in is his beliefs and actions. NFL team owners disagree with his ideals, leading them to have no interest in have a player with that kind of personality on their team. Aside from this aspect, signing him would create a lot of controversy with other teams and fans who highly disagree with him; essentially much hate would be delivered to the team that signed him. Most of America opposes his views and and frowns upon his actions. John Mara made the point that it is an incredibly emotional issue, affecting people and football fans all across the nation. Even teams that aren't associated with Kaepernick are being affected, like Mara and his Giants, as fans are sending mail to him out of complete and utter upset. I agree with Mara, this situation is hitting people hard, provoking emotion in them. While I would not write to my favorite team about this issue, I can see where people are coming from when they choose to do so. They want to make sure that their team stays away from things like that, and acts in a way that would continue to make them proud, not acts in a way like Kaepernick. Overall, the choice that Colin Kaepernick made was not wise of him, and ultimately came back to bite him. Actions have consequences, and what goes around comes around.
ReplyDeleteI believe that NFL owners are restricting or barring Colin Kaepernick's chances of playing on an NFL team. With all the raw emotion and backlash of what he had initially done, which was broadcast across the nation, the NFL had no real alternative. Like what John Mara, the owner of the New York Giants said in the article, people are motivated so say something about the issue due to it's abrupt time in the spotlight of the sports reporting world. No NFL team owner wants to have a large portion of fans and people lash out at them for a simple action of signing someone who is under a huge amount of scrutiny. Also brining in unnecessary attention to a franchise is always a red flag as it interrupts the team's schedule. However, there are players in the NFL who are still playing in the league who have committed double murder, rape, domestic violence, drug crimes, and other felonies. For Kaepernick, all he did was kneel during the national anthem. Somehow, his protest spurred into a national discussion instead of him speaking his mind. Where in other words, people barely talk about the other crimes being committed by NFL players compared to the Kaepernick situation. The fact when politics got involved is when people are afraid to say something in support, and are quick to denounce. With Kaepernick, his actions may have been little, but the repercussions have been very severe.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I believe that some owners are not willing to sign Kaepernick because of the possible response by fans. As stated in the article, Giants fans are planning to boycott games if players are not standing for the national anthem, and that is surely the case for other teams in the league. Another reason why teams would be skeptical to sign him is the possible division in the locker room. As seen there is clearly a division between the people for Kaepernick’s ideas and against between the fans, which means there must be division between players. It might be distracting if players are thinking about if they or their teammates should kneel during the national anthem. Regarding the question about Mara, I agree that this is one of the most emotionally charged debates in sports at the moment and possibly of all time because of its ties to race. This whole argument spurred because one man stood up for what many thought was right. His message was that we as Americans can do better and that all people should be treated equally as it says in the constitution. I would send a letter to the owner to ignore the other letters saying that boycotts will happen if they think that Kaepernick will help them win.
ReplyDeleteI believe that NFL owners do restrict Colin Kaepernick's chances of becoming a quarterback, but only by a small degree. While many people agree with what Kaepernick is doing, many people do not agree with him. Many owners may not want a player like that associated with the organization. The backlash may distract the other players on the team and spark controversy. However, it may be unfair to not sign Kaeperknick just because of his actions. Many NFL players commit acts of rape, domestic violence, and even murder. To single out Kaepernick for standing up may not be fair. However, owners may not want him because of his production over the last couple years. Since leading the 49ers to a Super Bowl back in 2013, he has slowly slipped. This past season, he started 11 games, and only won one of them. He was rated the 29th best Qb in the league by ABC sports, and the 25th by FOX. While many people believe that it is because of his actions that he is not getting the job, it may be because of his performance.
ReplyDeleteI believe that NFL owners are restricting Colin Kaepernick's chances of playing in the NFL. I feel as if many teams think of signing him, and adding his name to the roster in a way is supporting his ideals which could lead for many fans to stop supporting that team due to their signing. Many coaches, and team mates don't want to deal with the extra work of supporting and standing behind Kaepernick and his decision. I understand where Mara is coming from when saying this is a very emotional issue, however, I don't see myself writing my favorite athlete. I think if I was the one getting the mail I'd be even further upset by 'letting down' my fans.
ReplyDeleteNo. I do not think that Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem really means anything to him getting a job on a team. NFL Team owners have a job to provide the best player to play the best for their team. And Colin Kaepernick is just not a good player anymore. He was an outstanding quarterback a few years ago. Thats when he sent his team to the super bowl and nearly brought them to back to back super bowls. If NFL owners brought outside the locker room opinions into their teams, then Ray lewis wouldnt be looked at the same way, And Lawrence taylor would not be a hall of fame player.
ReplyDeleteI think that owners are restricting Colin Kaepernick's chances of getting a quarterback job in the NFL because they don't want to deal with the backlash of fans and people associated with the league that don't like what Colin is doing. I think they don't believe he is good enough to sign him either. I think that Mara is right that many people would be very angry with him if he signed Kaepernick. There are going to be people supporting what Kaepernick is doing and there are also many people that are offended by him kneeling for the anthem. Its really up to the owner if they think think the player is good enough to sign or not especially if he is a controversial player. I probably wouldn't write to my favorite team. I'm fine with them as long as they're winning and making good decisions.
ReplyDeletePeople are given the right of freedom of expression and Kaepernick expressed just that. He did not physically cause harm to other or himself by nearly peacefully expressed himself. Although many people may not agree with his views or if it was the appropriate time to do so, he still has the right. The way the NFL has reacted to this controversial action is completely unacceptable and is restricting Kaepernicks changes of getting a quarterback job in the NFL. However I believe that under the circumstances, Kaepernick should have been more knowing of the negative backlash that he would receive so he should have been prepared for the worst. I think that when it comes down to it, owners should be respectful of different views and opinions on controversial topics and only sign someone based upon whether they are fit for the team/position not based on comparing their views with the player because when it comes down to it, the player is the one performing on the field. The public should also be informed on the correct information rather that what is heard passed down the line. They should know that maybe Kaepernick might not be being picked because he might not have performed to certain owner's views which is why he is not being picked not because of his controversial action.
ReplyDeleteAre NFL owners restricting Colin Kaepernick's chances of being an NFL quarterback?
ReplyDeleteI think NFL owners are restricting Colin Kaepernick’s chances of playing in the NFL because of the mixed emotions from the fan base of their team, and the country as a whole. When Colin Kaepernick takes a knee, it causes much commotion across the country. There are many different perspectives from the fans. Some fans may agree with Kaepernick's choice to take a knee because of the recent police shootings. On the other hand, many may disagree with Kaepernick because of the disrespect to the military. Regardless, either scenario still raises publicity towards the organization. NFL owners don’t want to be dealing with bad publicity. NFL owners want what’s best for their team on, and off the field. If Kaepernick will make their team better, but taking a knee during the anthem will cause bad publicity, then they have to think about the pro’s and cons. If the cons, Kaepernick kneeing during the anthem, out weigh the pros, Kaepernick attributing to the team, then they're not going to sign him. If a team does sign him, and it causes bad publicity, it could reduce the profit and income from an organization, and potentially lower the fan base. If a team does sign him, and he helps them win games, then it could also broaden the fan base, and increase the income of the organization. In this situation, it’s a risk to take for most teams, which is why NFL owners aren’t signing him, but for the teams that are losing, it may be in their best interest to sign him, and give him a shot.
I do not believe that NFL owners are restricting Colin Kaepernick's chances of being an NFL quarterback. As John Mara explained, every owner in the league makes moves in order to improve their team. The Dallas Cowboys signed Greg Hardy after his domestic violence case, a move that received mass outrage from NFL fans. Jerry Jones and the Cowboys were willing to take that PR hit in order to improve their team. If an NFL team or owner thought Colin Kaepernick was good enough to be their starting QB he would be signed by now. He brings too much of a distraction and a media circus to be a backup quarterback. Personally, do I believe that he has the ability to be at least a backup in this league? Sure, but in the end that's irrelevant. I'm sure every fan has disagreed with a personnel move made by their favorite team, but that doesn't mean that the owners aren't trying to do whats best for their team. They simply do not value Colin the player more than the controversy and attention that would surround signing him. To suggest that there is collusion among NFL owners is ridiculous. There are 32 owners, only one is able to bring home a Lombardi trophy at the end of the year. Do you really think they would sacrifice that potential just to prevent a player from playing in the league to prove a point? Absolutely not. If a team valued him enough as a player, he would be signed by now. In terms of what John Mara said, I agree 100%. The national anthem and what it represents is a hot button issue among fans. Personally I support the right to protest but sitting for the national anthem is unacceptable. That would cause me to write a letter to my favorite team because I feel like the national anthem is a time to reflect and appreciate how lucky we are to live in the United States of America and also be able to honor those who died protecting our freedoms. Overall, it's as simple as this: good players will be on the field regardless of off the field issues and distractions. Kaepernick is simply not valued enough to be a starter in the NFL.
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ReplyDeleteWith complete confidence, I can say that the NFL team owners are restricting Kaepernick’s chances of being an NFL quarterback. Before looking at the evidence, if we just think about this from an owner’s perspective, Kaepernick is a bomb waiting to go off. By displaying this level of rebellion, Kaepernick demonstrates that he is not afraid to go against the world for what is right. While standing up for what you believe in is not bad and is actually a vital part of this country, NFL owners definitely do not want this instability playing football for them. In addition, if we look at the NFL and who watches it, registered Republicans are actually 21% more likely to watch football than registered Democrats. Because of this high concentration of conservatives, the NFL fan base is even more resistant to accepting Kaepernick’s protests, giving even more reason for owners to restrict Kaepernick’s role as an NFL QB. After analyzing the NFL owners’ somewhat justified yet wrong mindsets on the issue, it is worth looking at the evidence by those who are more experienced with the league. Doug Baldwin, a wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks said that, “(He) definitely think(s) that the league, the owners are trying to send a message of, ‘stay in between the lines.’”(Baldwin). As we can see, Baldwin, someone who knows the NFL owners better than most Americans, agrees with this idea that owners are trying to select players who are not rebellious like Kaepernick. Baldwin actually goes one step further to suggest that owners are actually trying to use Kaepernick as evidence that the NFL owners don’t want nor will put up with any rebellious figures on their teams. As we can see, the NFL owners mindset is easy to follow and, while unfair, does have a reasoning behind it. Instead of interpreting the actions of the owners and making inferences about their mindset, while helpful, is not as important as Doug Baldwin’s short comment on the matter. The NFL experienced wide receiver actually came out and said that the owners are in fact denying Kaepernick access to a team because of his tendency to protest as he did before. With this evidence and analysis, we can conclude that NFL team owners are most definitely restricting, if not, eliminating Kaepernick’s chances of being an NFL quarterback.
I believe NFL owners are restricting Kaepernicks chances for being an NFL quarterback. Most NFL team owners have showed they do not agree with his actions and ultimately that has lead to him not being signed. If the team owners do not agree with his ideas and actions, there is no chance for him being signed to said team. I agree with Mara when he says that it is “an emotional issue”. It isn't a light issue and clearly affects many football players, fans and Americans a like. While I do not consider it justified, I do understand why some teams would not want to bring the media circus and drama involving him.
ReplyDeleteI have no respect or tolerance for citizens that do not honor our country and stand for the anthem. It is selfish of Kaepernick to kneel. I understand that he wants improve the lives of African Americans and decrease police brutality kneeling for the anthem is not going to help. Standing for the Anthem is a genuine act to honor what America stands for: Freedom and the pursuit of happiness. Additionally we stand to respect the soldiers fighting overseas. Yes NFL team's are restricting Kaepernick's chances of being in the NFL. They don't want to deal with his disrespectful attitude and Rightfully offended by his actions. He does not deserve to play.
ReplyDeleteI think that owners NFL teams are restricting Colin Kaepernick's chances of being one of the great QB1's. In the article they interviewed Pete Carroll he said "He [Kaepernick] is a starter in this league. We have a starter, but he's a starter in this league and I can't imagine that somebody won't give him a chance to play." but teams arnt giving him a chance and its because of what he did and no team wants that image in there franchise. He deserves to be a starter at a team that wants him not a back up. teams are passing him up for Qb's like Cutler who came out of retirement for one more season because of his wife. but other them that teams have not even taken him as a back up. If he is such a legendary QB then why has a team not even taken him as a back up. I see what he was trying to do in his demonstration but i think there is a better way to demonstrate it not during the national anthem that is saluting the men and woman serving our country.
ReplyDeleteI think that NFL owners are definitely restricting him from playing for their teams because of two reasons: He is a bad quarterback and he offends the people who pay to go to games and generate revenue for the organization. The owners are justified to not let him play, or not give him a chance, because of what he does on the sideline. His actions lessen the monetary value of the team. So because of this fact, NFL owners don't want their backup QB to be generating this kind of harmful negative media attention. Mara's point -of people not liking Kaepernick- needs to be taken into consideration. It is very important. At the end of the day, pro football is a business, and its purpose is to make money. The National Anthem means a lot to Americans, and when someone disrespects it, it hurts ticket sales and team popularity. I personally would not write to John Mara other than to say than you for 2 glorious Super Bowl wins, but I can see why people would want to ensure that the Giants do not get a player who disrespects the country by sitting during the Anthem.
ReplyDeleteIn my personal opinion, no matter how good of a QB Kaepernick may be, the NFL Team owners are definitely restricting him from playing and realistically starting on their teams. I personally don't think Kaepernick is trying to disrespect the national anthem or the country, but instead get people to pay attention to this conflict that the African-Americans are facing in the United States today. I also have to agree with the fact that if Kaepernick were to be signed to a team, a lot of "patriotic" fans would lose respect for the team and not go to the games anymore or whatnot. About John Mara's quote, I would partially agree with his statement. I think that a lot of fans would get upset due to the fact that the National Anthem is the representation of the respect to the people who served to protect and keep the USA a safe country. By not standing up, Kaepernick might've been perceived like his point was to disrespect the Anthem in order to get his point across, but I don't think ANY American would ever do that, and it's just a misperception.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I believe NFL owners are definitely not signing him to play because of what he did in the past. Even though what he did was actually a good thing and raised awareness for a cause that needed attention, he is now receiving backlash for it. People falsely accused his motive for sitting during the playing during the National Anthem even though he clearly stated that he did it to bring attention to the mistreatment of African Americans around the country. These false accusations are certainly part of what has given Kaepernick a bad reputation and he should not have to suffer the consequences of them. Kaepernick has proven his ability as a professional quarterback and had he not mixed his political beliefs with the game, would most certainly still be playing. From the owners' perspective, Kaepernick's controversial actions are likely viewed as a distraction from the game and would also dissuade some current fans from continuing their love for the team had Kaepernick been signed. Regardless of his skill, it is because of this that I think Kaepernick should really have thought more about what he did and what kind of consequences it would have. It would likely have had far less adverse consequences had he awareness to the issue in a more political fashion.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, Kaepernick got himself into this situation and he's going to have to dig his way out. I think he knew exactly what would happen after his actions. Of course, without being signed, he has of chance of playing, but In my opinion its not the owners that are restricting him from playing, its what he did. Second of all, taking the knee was probably the most perfectly executed publicity statement in all of sports history. It's caused so much news and drama that it has drawn a lot of attention to exactly what he took the knee for, equal rights. Although I don't think him taking a knee during the nation anthem was his smartest choice, it's a choice he made and its now up to him to get himself back into the NFL.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think NFL owners are restricting Kaepernick's chances of playing. Many NFL players have been signed after being charged with actual violent crimes. All Kaepernick is doing is using his spotlight to draw attention to racial hostilities. If players can be signed after charges of assault, rape, and attempted murder, protesting during the National Anthem shouldn't be an issue. I wouldn't write to any team over something like this because there is nothing wrong with an athlete using their fame to raise awareness for an issue they think needs it. It's crazy to me that there is even a controversy over this. Americans take pride in the fact that we can protest when we want to, and Colin Kaepernick is being prevented from playing just because he protested and people didn't like it. Mara said he got letters saying that people would stop coming to Giants games if one of their players did what Kaepernick did, but many teams have had big controversies with players, and the fans always come back. People may stop watching for a short time, but they will come back if the team is any good.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the NFL owners are in fact restricting Kaepernick's chances of being an NFL quarterback, but for their own, legitimate reasons. Kaepernick has created a name for himself as one of the main faces of the movement for equal treatment among African Americans in our current world. This has been a growing conflict in society. But, Kaepernick has chosen to take a stand against the foundations of our country, and not just the current society, which is where I believe he stirs up the controversy. I always believe that it is important to stand up to what you believe in, but maybe Kaepernick is not going about getting his message across the right way. He has the right to protest but he should think about the context of his surroundings and maybe not do it during such an important pillar of the US: the National Anthem. It can easily be viewed as disrespectful of him to do, and NFL owners are probably more focused on America’s beliefs, rather than a quarterback who can easily be replaced in a matter of seconds, where people are lining up for his job. Therefore, I do believe that NFL owners are restricting Kaepernick's chances of being an NFL quarterback, but that the owners have a legitimate reason.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that NFL owners are restricting Kaepernick's chances of becoming an NFL quarterback. However, they are not doing that simply because of his controversial actions. Ever since 2013, Kaepernick's performance has been increasingly poor. Take that and mix it with his controversial actions, NFL coaches have more than enough reasons to not pick him because nobody wants a bad quarterback who will split aateam in two. For these reasons, I agree with Mara. Although there is no collusion, coaches are simply being smart and not picking Kaepernick.
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