# 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:** 8\ **Page:** 16
**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, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-surprised-by-the-backlash-from-kaepernick-other-athletes-kneeling-vs-the-public/842146/301 "2020-06-17T15:57:27Z")
Board issues had me miss the edit window but those reasons are even worse in 2020 for other reasons. The Seahawks in 2018 were set to sign him and backed out when they didn’t get a commitment from Kap [not to protest during the anthem](https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/23135580/seattle-seahawks-postpone-visit-colin-kaepernick-say-stop-kneeling-anthem). And worse for the “out of the league too long” excuse, in 2017, Bill O’Brien in Houston said he thought Kap hadn’t played recently enough. He then signed Josh Johnson, somebody not nearly as good and who hadn’t been in the NFL since 2011 (!!!). So, Kap, who played a bit in 2016 and was a significant contributor to an NFC title was out of the league too long but Johnson, who had been out for over 6 years at that point and wasn’t good to start with, was just fine? Give me a break. ---
**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, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-surprised-by-the-backlash-from-kaepernick-other-athletes-kneeling-vs-the-public/842146/302 "2020-06-17T16:26:29Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Ah, but are you “blue collar”? It seems that there’s a formula to calculate your patriotism. No, no, no. You misunderstand. The forumula is to calculate _other people’s patriotism_. ---
**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:** [March 12, 2021, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-surprised-by-the-backlash-from-kaepernick-other-athletes-kneeling-vs-the-public/842146/303 "2021-03-12T23:41:24Z")
And in [in news that should be surprising but isn’t](https://sports.yahoo.com/oklahoma-high-school-basketball-norman-announcers-expletives-racial-slurs-broadcast-kneel-national-anthem-protest-193448980.html), a high school girls’ basketball game announcer calls those who kneeled “fuckin n~”, then lied about saying it. But, hey, he’s not racist; he’s just diabetic. And a pastor. How’s that for caucasity? And people wonder why the athletes protest. ---
**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2021, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-surprised-by-the-backlash-from-kaepernick-other-athletes-kneeling-vs-the-public/842146/304 "2021-03-13T05:24:25Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > And people wonder why the athletes protest. This statement is from a starting forward on the team after the racist missed his Snickers’ break: > and people want to know why we kneel. here’s a prime example of why we do it. > > > Frankie Parks @CoachFParks ---
**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:** [March 13, 2021, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-surprised-by-the-backlash-from-kaepernick-other-athletes-kneeling-vs-the-public/842146/305 "2021-03-13T08:34:59Z")
Yeppers. Well, you learn something new every day, I guess. I did not know that two of the symptoms of diabetes are racism and telling lies. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2021, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-surprised-by-the-backlash-from-kaepernick-other-athletes-kneeling-vs-the-public/842146/306 "2021-03-13T12:16:36Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > I did not know that two of the symptoms of diabetes are racism and telling lies. I think it is more that it inhibits your ability to hide your racism and figure out when your lie might hold up (hint - not when what you said was broadcast to many people). ---
**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2021, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-surprised-by-the-backlash-from-kaepernick-other-athletes-kneeling-vs-the-public/842146/307 "2021-03-15T00:26:37Z")
In positive news. For those who can’t think of anything other than the "Fucking n—ers when referring to the Norman High School Girls Basketball team, I have a new name you can used instead: State Champs!!! > ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2021, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-surprised-by-the-backlash-from-kaepernick-other-athletes-kneeling-vs-the-public/842146/308 "2021-03-15T03:43:30Z")
So…they DIDN’T get their asses kicked? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-you-surprised-by-the-backlash-from-kaepernick-other-athletes-kneeling-vs-the-public/842146.md?page=15)