Taking A Knee To Make A Stand: 2018 Update
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TAKING A KNEE TO MAKE A STAND: 2018 UPDATE
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Current Affairs
Words By: Conrad Clarke
Illustrated By: Tom Shotton
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It's 2018, the NFL has seen free agency come and go. And Colin Kaepernick one of the most dynamic dual-threat quarterbacks the NFL has seen in recent years has again remained unsigned, under no contract and without a job. This article is a 2018 recap of Kaepernick's situation and fight against institutional racism in the US, a reminder that by taking a knee Colin Kaepernick has made a stand. The full article continues below.
Imagine Sampha didn’t get invited to play at Wireless, but Little Mix got the headline support slot on the first night. What if, instead of Kerry Washington playing the female lead plantation worker in Django Unchained, Tarantino chose Gemma Arterton to play a slave owners daughter and love interest. How about, to make it more personal, you had been in the 1st team at school for 3 straight years, only to be dropped in your 4th year for someone who plays at maybe half your level and you, your peers and your coach know this. No disrespect to Little Mix and Gemma Arterton but Sampha and Kerry Washington are clearly more qualified for those specific roles. What Sampha, Kerry Washington and you feel is probably similar to that of which Colin Kaepernick has felt all year
The obvious question as to why he hasn’t been picked up by an NFL team, even as a backup would be that he just isn’t good enough for an NFL squad, so maybe we should compare him to some of the quarterbacks currently on one now.
In his draft class of 2011, there are 2 quarterbacks who are still starting for their respective teams; Andy Dalton and Carolina Panthers superstar Cam Newton. In the first round of that draft, there are 3 quarterbacks who are either out of the league, or backup to another starting quarterback; Christian Ponder, Blaine Gabbert, Jake Locker. If we keep it basic and judge the quarterbacks on their touchdown to interception ratios, we can make a reasonable comparison between them.
For this exercise, the further above 1.00, the better the quarterback. Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady, 2 of the best quarterbacks this league has ever seen have TD:INT ratios of 4.01 and 3.05 respectively. Cam Newton and Andy Dalton have ratios of 1.68 and 1.79. Christian Ponder, Blaine Gabbert and Jake Locker have ratios of 1.05, 1.02 and 1.23. Of those 3, Ponder and Gabbert are still in the league and Locker due to lack of desire.
Comparing these quarterbacks to Kaepernick makes for interesting reading. With a TD:INT ratio of 2.4. Way better than Gabbert, Ponder and Locker. Better than Andy Dalton and Cam Newton who are both starting quarterbacks for playoff contending franchises. Both Kaepernick and Newton have taken their teams to the Super bowl. Kaepernick even has a better ratio than the quarterback who just won the Super bowl for the Philadelphia Eagles, Nick Foles. In fact, the former 49ers quarterback has the 4th best ratio in NFL history.
Kaepernick kneeled for a national anthem to oppose police brutality, he was unemployed this season because owners didn’t want the hassle of hiring someone who had a differing political view from the majority of their ‘MURICA’ loving fan base. Compare this to case of players who have been found out to be domestic abusers such as Ray Rice or Greg Hardy or players who get banned for substance abuse, but instantly get let back in to the league, you begin to realise the situation at hand.
If we look at Kaepernick minus the football, we see a very remarkable and courageous individual who essentially gave up a potential $100 million because of his repeated protests against brutality. On top of that and a lot more of a sensitive topic, he is mixed race and for all the colourism in today’s world, he did not have to take a stand. This is not to say that he hasn’t experienced racism but he will not have been the target of as much discrimination that quarterbacks like Mike Vick and Newton would have been subject to.
Lastly, and maybe most importantly, Kaepernick was adopted into a white family as his birth mother didn’t want to keep him (There is plenty of speculation as to why not, but that’s another story for another piece). His adoptive parents often get overlooked, but to raise a mixed-race child and for him to grow up with the self-awareness of who he is and what to stand for is commendable in ways that cannot be described.
Finishing with a quote from his mother, Theresa Kaepernick, speaking to USA today. “When we adopted him, I bought some books from the library on raising children from another race, but what it all came down to was common sense more than anything,” she added “You want him to feel really good about the race he is. You’re not trying to make him white.” It’s a massive shame that there are plenty of Americans trying their utmost to try and make him feel the opposite to how his parents raised him, however none of this seems to have phased him and it looks like we are witnessing the rise of one of our generations great activists.
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Words by: Conrad Clarke
Date: 10th April 2018
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