Shard

What are the protesting exactly?

I did see some US media reports that are trying desperately to turn this into a racial issue.

Former Lancastrian

I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses Black people and people of color," said Kaepernick, one of the few black quarterbacks in the league. "To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."

Wiki has a brief article on not standing for the anthem
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._n...nthem_protests

BristolUK

This one I believe as heard numerous times on Junior Choice on the wireless - originally called Children's Choice/Children's Favourites on the light programme

I remember a presenter before Ed Stewpot but I only remember it as Junior Choice which it became with Radio1/2, even though I remember listening to the wireless before radio one.

morpeth

I was unaware there was an IQ test for becoming a professional football player, or why someone in general would seek historical analysis or opinion from a football player.

BristolUK

I'm genuinely bemused by that comment. It probably needs elaborating.

morpeth

I would be curious how much the system which oppresses Kaepernick , is addressed off-camera by time and donations by Kaepernick.

On the other hand I am unsure why anyone would take such sports figures ( as well as entertainment figures) seriously.

BristolUK

Ah I see. It's snobbery then.
Their opinion is apparently not worthy of attention.

morpeth

Not a question of snobbery just common sense. I know next to nothing about 14th century Inca artistic trends, why would anyone wish to know my opinion about such trends ? Especially if I would only give my opinion (a) when it is fashionable (b) covered by the media.

dbd33

Isn't it, on it's face, a racial issue? Trump steps back from insulting the alt right "some fine people" who are plainly a bunch of (white) arseholes. He doesn't hesitate to lay into politically active (black) sportsmen. Arguably another bunch of arseholes but the issue here is that he's rude to black people and polite to white ones.

We should have a pool on the first day he says "uppity".

Shard

That's the way the media are trying to spin it (and why not, good for ratings). I think that Trump is at worst just shooting his mouth off or at best aiming to deflect his shortcomings elsewhere. Creating a storm in a teacup as it were.

I accept that the black athletes are protesting a more substantive racial issue.

BristolUK

Well unless you have hidden talents there's a fair chance that the mostly black people involved might know a little bit more about the race issue of which they are complaining.

On a wider point, sports stars and other celebrities are looked upon by many as role models. There's no reason why some can't have informed opinions or knowledge. Some of them even have <gasp> degrees.

BristolUK

Cheap attempt at discrediting someone and their opinion

However, a quick search, reveals he's been donating $100k a month to various organisations and lots of links including this from June 3rd before the story reached current proportions.
https://www.sbnation.com/lookit/2017...test-donations

And one from last December Colin Kaepernick is making good on his pledge to donate $1 million — The Undefeated

morpeth

There is no reason they cant have informed opinion, my complaint is they give opinions for which they are unqualified or uniformed to give , and those who pay attention to these sports and entertainment figures- often I hear the most non-sensical opinions form these sorts of people.

Atlantic Xpat

One is tempted to think its deliberate, designed to deflect attention from the new healthcare bill the Republicans are pushing through. (Which very much fails the Kimmel test.) But that calls for a level of strategy and control within the Trump Whitehouse that so far has seem to be rather lacking to say the least.

BristolUK

But this is about racial discrimiation experienced by black people and many (most?) of those making this protest are black.
There are all sorts of stats to show black people get picked up on stop and searches and the like disproportionately and there have even been cases of well known black people being stopped for no obvious reason other than being black.

Who better qualified than a black person? (which is not to deny that others can't suffer it too)