Respecting the flag?

It wasn't that long ago that Colin Kaepernick created some controversy by kneeling during the national anthem, prior to the start of the 49'ers games. Started in the preseason as a way of protesting social injustice in America. Now, it's turned into a bit of a controversy, to put it mildly.

Was Kaepernick right for what he did? Was he just a disrespectful piece of crap? Seems as though everyone has an opinion on this issue. There are several points to think about. He does have Freedom of Speech. This is a form of speech, in a manner of speaking. Speech does come in many forms, not always vocalized.

I understand that when you work for anyone else, whether it be a Burger King, an accounting firm, or even a major sports league, you have a code of conduct you're expected to follow. I realize that when you're acting as a representative of your job, you have to maintain a certain image. However, it's hard to maintain that image when you're a public figure. Everything you say and do is going to be scrutinized, anyway.

I suppose people like Kaepernick are going to be in a no-win situation, anyway. Damned if he does, damned if he doesn't. How's he supposed to get his point across if he's expected to maintain an image? If he puts such opinions on a blog, Facebook, YouTube, or other source, how many people are going to notice? How many will even care what he thinks?

When done in front of cameras on a program that millions of people watch, all of a sudden, you've got everyone's attention. There are people who would argue that it sometimes takes drastic actions to become noticed. Could that have been what Kaepernick thought?

What I know for sure is he now has everyone talking. His protest has expanded to teammates, as well as other athletes on different teams and different sports. If Kaepernick was looking to get everyone's attention, he certainly succeeded. Whether or not he intended to show disrespect for the flag or the country is no longer the point. One of the big points people are discussing, from what I've seen, is whether or not he was right or wrong. People are either on his side or against him.

Doesn't seem to be any middle ground on this issue. Those that are on his side have stated Freedom of Speech as one of their arguments. It's also been argued that protests are rarely seen as being popular at the time. People only seem to see the benefits of the protests long after everything settled down.

Opponents often argue that there's a time and a place for protests, stating that the playing of the National Anthem during certain events is neither that time or place. It's also been argued that our troops didn't serve or die just for people to disrespect the flag.

I think it'll be interesting to see how this plays out. Will Kaepernick succeed in getting his message across? Will he continue being vilified over this? Only time will tell.

-JD Storm