Colin Kaepernick’s September 1st post game interview was one of his first interactions with the media following his protest. This was Kaepernick’s chance to clarify his motives for kneeling during the national anthem and he did so. In this video Kaepernick is critical of the media for taking away from the conversation he’s trying to bring about through his protest. Kaepernick follows this by defining these issues he feels need to be addressed in America, ranging from police brutality to supporting veterans.
In this November 9th edition of ESPN’s popular morning debate show First Take, analyst Stephen A. Smith rants on Colin Kaepernick’s decision not to vote in the 2016 presidential election. Smith is known for being an animated character, but a lot of Americans share his feelings towards Colin’s decision to not exercise his right to vote. Many supporters of Kaepernick turned against him, claiming that by not going to the polls his statements on the need for change are invalidated. Smith calls Kaepernick a “hypocrite,” calling for change without acting on his opportunity to affect change by voting.The following video summarizes Kaepernick’s defense of these claims by Smith, saying that he is against the system of oppression and believes the oppressor doesn’t allow him to change oppression through voting.
Videos
​In the days following Kaepernick’s initial protest, he was all the talk on major news networks. This August 29th video of CNN’s coverage of the Kaepernick protest is an example of how the story was initially covered by broadcast media. Notice that while CNN shows statements from both Kaepernick and the NFL, the panelists conversation centers around whether Kaepernick should’ve protested or protested in the right way. In doing so they avoid debating if Kaepernick’s motives for protesting were valid or call for change on behalf of the American public.
​This NFL Network piece on “The Impact of Colin Kaepernick’s National Anthem Kneel” was broadcast on October 6th during pregame coverage of a Thursday Night Football game that featured Kaepernick’s 49ers. The piece shows how Kaepernick’s actions spread in the weeks that followed from other NFL players all the way down to high school athletes. This video is supportive of Kaepernick, it characterizes him as the leader, “the first domino,” of a movement that needed to take place.
​In this interview Kaepernick is defending his statements of support for Fidel Castro following the world leader’s death. Kaepernick once again feels that he has been taken out of context by the media, as he claims he supports the positive actions of Castro but not his oppressive actions. Kaepernick received negative backlash from members of the media, including Stephen A. Smith once again, and was booed during a road football game by Miami Dolphins fans following his comments.