# Were you surprised by the backlash from Kaepernick, other athletes kneeling vs. the public **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 22, 2019, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-surprised-by-the-backlash-from-kaepernick-other-athletes-kneeling-vs-the-public/842146 "2019-10-22T17:20:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 15
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2020, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-surprised-by-the-backlash-from-kaepernick-other-athletes-kneeling-vs-the-public/842146/281 "2020-06-16T12:51:55Z")
While I appreciate that things are in flux right now with respect to the board migration, it’s still somewhat of a marvel that this one-trick sockpony has managed to evade a[nother] banning. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2020, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-surprised-by-the-backlash-from-kaepernick-other-athletes-kneeling-vs-the-public/842146/282 "2020-06-16T13:39:04Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > While I appreciate that things are in flux right now with respect to the board migration, it’s still somewhat of a marvel that this one-trick sockpony has managed to evade a[nother] banning. A lot of intelligent and experienced Board members have stated that the OP is almost certainly a morally bankrupt troll with poor personal hygiene. I’m not saying that myself because it’s not a big deal to me, but many people here are saying that and I’m just wondering what you all think about it. ---
**Author:** ![Yankees\_1996\_Champs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Yankees\_1996\_Champs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yankees_1996_Champs)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2020, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-surprised-by-the-backlash-from-kaepernick-other-athletes-kneeling-vs-the-public/842146/283 "2020-06-16T14:26:30Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Leaving aside the absurd notion that the millionaire Boomer Esiason is blue collar at all, you’re also using [”patriotic”](https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/an-important-distinction) wrong. He appeals to blue collar white people who are patriotic. Everyone has different opinions. I don’t agree with it, but America is a land of free speech. ---
**Author:** ![Yankees\_1996\_Champs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Yankees\_1996\_Champs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yankees_1996_Champs)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2020, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-surprised-by-the-backlash-from-kaepernick-other-athletes-kneeling-vs-the-public/842146/284 "2020-06-16T14:29:19Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > Kaepernick did not hurt anyone. They were offended because of his color and they simply do not care what happens to Blacks. The fact is that they did what they could to hurt him. Do you think kneeling is disrespectful? What about that white player who kneeled all the time in the end zone? True. No I don’t think that kneeling is disrespectful. But to people like Esiason, who’s father served in the US armed forces, it probably is. People see things differently. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2020, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-surprised-by-the-backlash-from-kaepernick-other-athletes-kneeling-vs-the-public/842146/285 "2020-06-16T14:32:19Z")
[Who’da thunk it?](https://apnews.com/56451fc18c35eb32169d7a17aa41b316) > [@](#): > > Roger Goodell would like to see Colin Kaepernick back in the NFL this season. > > The NFL commissioner said during ESPN’s “The Return of Sports” special on Monday that he is encouraging teams to sign the 32-year old quarterback, who hasn’t played the past three seasons. Kaepernick was with the San Francisco 49ers in 2016 when he kneeled during the national anthem to protest racial injustice. > > “If he wants to resume his career in the NFL, then obviously it’s gonna take a team to make that decision. I welcome that, support a club making that decision and encourage them to do that,” Goodell said during his interview with ESPN’s Mike Greenberg. ---
**Author:** ![Yankees\_1996\_Champs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Yankees\_1996\_Champs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yankees_1996_Champs)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2020, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-surprised-by-the-backlash-from-kaepernick-other-athletes-kneeling-vs-the-public/842146/286 "2020-06-16T14:33:41Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > In other words, he offended people who think that anyone with skin darker than them should be killed or enslaved. > > And terms like “white blue collar” or “white working class” are almost invariably just code for “white nationalists”. How is white blue collar code for nationalists? How did that get involved with white nationalism? Blue collar means hard work, handywork. ---
**Author:** ![Yankees\_1996\_Champs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Yankees\_1996\_Champs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yankees_1996_Champs)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2020, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-surprised-by-the-backlash-from-kaepernick-other-athletes-kneeling-vs-the-public/842146/287 "2020-06-16T14:37:54Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > [Who’da thunk it?](https://apnews.com/56451fc18c35eb32169d7a17aa41b316) Good. He’ll be a backup quarterback. He didn’t really do anything wrong. A coach doesn’t have to agree with a player’s stance and vice versa. Not every coach has to bow to Kap and be a liberal like him. Sports is a business, it’s not kindergarten. A coach and a player come to work to win games, win a championship. Not to come to work to talk politics and social issues every day. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2020, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-surprised-by-the-backlash-from-kaepernick-other-athletes-kneeling-vs-the-public/842146/288 "2020-06-16T14:38:53Z")
> [@Yankees\_1996\_Champs](#): > > How is white blue collar code for nationalists? How is Blue Collar code for patriotic? > [@Yankees\_1996\_Champs](#): > > Blue collar means hard work, handywork. Or, blue collar means uneducated, unskilled labor. You’re putting an incredible spin on things and trying to push an unsupported agenda. Blue collar mean someone who does manual labor, nothing more, nothing less. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2020, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-surprised-by-the-backlash-from-kaepernick-other-athletes-kneeling-vs-the-public/842146/289 "2020-06-16T15:00:51Z")
> [@Yankees\_1996\_Champs](#): > > No I don’t think that kneeling is disrespectful. But to people like Esiason, who’s father served in the US armed forces, it probably is. What is the relevance of Esiason’s father’s military service? Does that give the son more standing to speak on the subject of patriotism? Is that how things work in Mother Russia? And you continue to discuss the opinions of others rather than limiting yourself to only offering your own opinion. ---
**Author:** ![Yankees\_1996\_Champs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Yankees\_1996\_Champs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yankees_1996_Champs)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2020, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-surprised-by-the-backlash-from-kaepernick-other-athletes-kneeling-vs-the-public/842146/290 "2020-06-16T15:07:27Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > How is Blue Collar code for patriotic? > Or, blue collar means uneducated, unskilled labor. You’re putting an incredible spin on things and trying to push an unsupported agenda. > > Blue collar mean someone who does manual labor, nothing more, nothing less. Blue-collar people have been patriotic since the 1920s, especially blue collar whites. Esiason speaks to that base. **“According to research, sports fans in general skew somewhat right, but not by much. The vast majority of WFAN’s listeners and callers are, however, men, a key voting group for Mr. Trump. But by digging deeper into the demographics of New York radio ratings, an important fact emerges. WFAN does much better with 35- to 55-year-olds than it does with 18- to 35-year-olds. Older listeners mean two things: They are more conservative and have more spending power. They are also more likely parents, mostly fathers, and more likely to have jobs. But even if WFAN’s listeners are more conservative than the average New Yorker, is there any evidence that the station is actively courting people on the right? In fact, there is. The most popular WFAN show after Mr. Francesa’s is the morning program hosted by Boomer Esiason and Craig Carton. The show regularly partners with law enforcement to promote charities, and Mr. Esiason got in hot water last year for criticizing the San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s protests during the national anthem before N.F.L. games. More obviously, a regular guest host during Mr. Esiason’s frequent absences is the early Trump supporter Chris Christie, the New Jersey governor whose term, and possibly political career, ends in January. The station has also confirmed that Mr. Christie is being considered as a successor to Mr. Francesa, who is retiring this year. Mr. Christie is actually quite entertaining and knowledgeable in his guest appearances. But it strains credulity to imagine the station is not taking his Trump-boostering, right-of-center street cred into account in considering him for its top job.”** > **[Op-Ed: Even on July 4, the working class and the elites don't see eye to eye](https://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-williams-patriotism-and-the-white-working-class-20170704-story.html)** > > Is the Fourth of July just a day off work or a day of patriotism? > **[Opinion | These New Yorkers Actually Like Trump (Published 2017)](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/04/opinion/wfan-talk-radio-trump.html)** > > Want a side of Trump-boosterism with your sports? WFAN has it. ---
**Author:** ![Yankees\_1996\_Champs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Yankees\_1996\_Champs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yankees_1996_Champs)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2020, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-surprised-by-the-backlash-from-kaepernick-other-athletes-kneeling-vs-the-public/842146/291 "2020-06-16T15:10:38Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > What is the relevance of Esiason’s father’s military service? Does that give the son more standing to speak on the subject of patriotism? Is that how things work in Mother Russia? > > And you continue to discuss the opinions of others rather than limiting yourself to only offering your own opinion. In Esiason’s eyes, yes. They battled over this in 2016. Brandon Marshall and Esiason had a feud over that. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/FZ7eKnfC_xQ/maxresdefault.jpg "The Kaepernick Debate | INSIDE THE NFL") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZ7eKnfC_xQ&t=323s) I already gave my opinion. I support kneeling, I have said it since the beginning of the thread, but what I am saying is that not everyone is going to agree and that is okay because there is something called free speech. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2020, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-surprised-by-the-backlash-from-kaepernick-other-athletes-kneeling-vs-the-public/842146/292 "2020-06-16T15:45:52Z")
So you define patriotism as conservatism? Because that’s all your cite talks about. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2020, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-surprised-by-the-backlash-from-kaepernick-other-athletes-kneeling-vs-the-public/842146/293 "2020-06-16T15:48:50Z")
> [@Yankees\_1996\_Champs](#): > > True. > > No I don’t think that kneeling is disrespectful. But to people like Esiason, who’s father served in the US armed forces, it probably is. > > People see things differently. It’s _whose_, not _who’s_. Did you happen to forget that an actual combat veteran (meaning someone who not only served in the military but served in combat) advised Kaepernick that kneeling would be a respectful method of protesting. > [@Yankees\_1996\_Champs](#): > > How is white blue collar code for nationalists? How did that get involved with white nationalism? > > Blue collar means hard work, handywork. Since when? > [@Yankees\_1996\_Champs](#): > > Good. He’ll be a backup quarterback. He didn’t really do anything wrong. A coach doesn’t have to agree with a player’s stance and vice versa. Not every coach has to bow to Kap and be a liberal like him. > > Sports is a business, it’s not kindergarten. A coach and a player come to work to win games, win a championship. Not to come to work to talk politics and social issues every day. Do you want to know a nifty thing the league’s teams cannot legally do in the United States of America? I’ll tell you. They cannot collude to block him from gaining employment. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2020, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-surprised-by-the-backlash-from-kaepernick-other-athletes-kneeling-vs-the-public/842146/294 "2020-06-16T17:09:36Z")
> [@Yankees\_1996\_Champs](#): > > No I don’t think that kneeling is disrespectful. But to people like Esiason, who’s father served in the US armed forces, it probably is. What’s that got to do with it? My own father served in the US armed forces, and I don’t think that athletes taking a knee during the national anthem is disrespectful at all. > [@Yankees 1996 Champs](#): > > People see things differently. Right, which is why your idiotic naive generalizations about how you imagine some category of people “see things” is not really helpful in understanding their views. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2020, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-surprised-by-the-backlash-from-kaepernick-other-athletes-kneeling-vs-the-public/842146/295 "2020-06-16T18:59:04Z")
> [@Yankees\_1996\_Champs](#): > > True. > > No I don’t think that kneeling is disrespectful. But to people like Esiason, who’s father served in the US armed forces, it probably is. > > People see things differently. My father served (Army, WWII and Korea). I served (Navy, nothing of any significance). Esiason’s opinion is not worth a half bucket of warm spit. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2020, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-surprised-by-the-backlash-from-kaepernick-other-athletes-kneeling-vs-the-public/842146/296 "2020-06-17T03:01:57Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > What’s that got to do with it? My own father served in the US armed forces, and I don’t think that athletes taking a knee during the national anthem is disrespectful at all. > Right, which is why your idiotic naive generalizations about how you imagine some category of people “see things” is not really helpful in understanding their views. & > [@DrFidelius](#): > > My father served (Army, WWII and Korea). I served (Navy, nothing of any significance). Esiason’s opinion is not worth a half bucket of warm spit. I served in the Army, the Army Reserves, and the Navy, retiring from the last. I agree with **DrFidelius**. Oh, and my opinion is that there’s no problem whatsoever with a person protesting during the playing of the National Anthem at any event. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2020, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-surprised-by-the-backlash-from-kaepernick-other-athletes-kneeling-vs-the-public/842146/297 "2020-06-17T11:58:11Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > What’s that got to do with it? My own father served in the US armed forces, and I don’t think that athletes taking a knee during the national anthem is disrespectful at all. Ah, but are you “blue collar”? It seems that there’s a formula to calculate your patriotism. ---
**Author:** ![Kearsen1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Kearsen1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kearsen1)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2020, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-surprised-by-the-backlash-from-kaepernick-other-athletes-kneeling-vs-the-public/842146/298 "2020-06-17T13:21:18Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > I’m not surprised that there was a backlash, but I’m surprised at how long the backlash has lasted. I would have thought that Kaepernick would have been signed as a QB by now - unless it’s because he refuses to be a backup QB, or wants too much pay, or has simply been out of the league too long. All of the above were true. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2020, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-surprised-by-the-backlash-from-kaepernick-other-athletes-kneeling-vs-the-public/842146/299 "2020-06-17T14:07:46Z")
A lot of these “white blue collar” folks openly declare themselves to be in a state of treason against the United States. But hey, they must be patriotic, because they’re white and blue-collar. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2020, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-surprised-by-the-backlash-from-kaepernick-other-athletes-kneeling-vs-the-public/842146/300 "2020-06-17T15:50:11Z")
> [@Kearsen1](#): > > All of the above were true. How so? As far as I can tell, none of these are true. The Seahawks expressed interest in 2017 - they were the only team to publicly do so - and backed out. That’s coming from Pete Carroll himself. Anybody who signed with Seattle would know Russell Wilson was the QB and any spot would be a backup. And he told them [he’d be comfortable as a backup](https://twitter.com/Schultz_Report/status/867751074840674304) himself. The Seahawks pitiful excuse for a reason was they thought he was [too good](https://twitter.com/BradyHenderson/status/1271197901096534016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1271197901096534016&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theringer.com%2Fnfl%2F2020%2F6%2F15%2F21289577%2Fcolin-kaepernick-protest-black-lives-matter-nfl-team-excuses) and another team would make him a starter - the “logic” was they wanted to have an inferior backup QB rather than a superior QB they _might_ lose in trade later that season. So, this one is totally false and there are the receipts to prove it. Pay? You, much less anybody else, have no clue what his salary requests were or are. So, that’s speculation coming entirely from your nether regions. It could be true, but there’s no way of showing it. And, worse yet and again, Seattle was willing to sign him but thought he was “too good” :rolleyes: As for “out of the sport too long”? That may be true now, but even so, as of a few months ago, there were several teams willing to take a look at him at that pitiful excuse for a “tryout” the league office tried to foist on him on a Saturday during the season, i.e. prime college scouting time. In Atlanta too, for some reason. All these reasons were questionable bordering on ludicrous 3 years ago and partly disproven back then. With the benefit of hindsight, they’re like the 2020 Republican platform - just a copy/paste job from 2016 without a once over to avoid embarrassing gaffes. Try harder next time. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-surprised-by-the-backlash-from-kaepernick-other-athletes-kneeling-vs-the-public/842146.md?page=14) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-surprised-by-the-backlash-from-kaepernick-other-athletes-kneeling-vs-the-public/842146.md?page=16)