Gabe Kapler, Steve Kerr don't pay price that Colin Kaepernick paid for speaking out | Opinion
Somewhere, maybe Colin Kaepernick is taking a knee.
Kaepernick, of course, is still pining for an NFL comeback after five years in football exile, the flicker of hope reignited with his recent tryout with the Las Vegas Raiders. But after his career was derailed following his decision to protest police shootings and other injustices that victimized Black people, it’s fair to expect that a nerve has been struck with the erstwhile quarterback when considering the recent mass shootings that have intersected with the sports landscape like other social issues over the years.
Kudos to Gabe Kapler, the San Francisco Giants manager who has refused to be present for the national anthem (except on Memorial Day) as a protest denouncing the gun culture wreaking havoc on our society. Big ups to Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who used his platform for a passionate plea urging lawmakers to act.
No doubt, I thought about Kaepernick when Kapler and Kerr opted not to “stick to sports,” which says something about the legacy that No. 7 left.
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It’s also intriguing that two of the highest-profiled statements from the sports universe following the elementary school massacre last week in Uvalde, Texas, which came on the heels of the Buffalo supermarket shooting that is being investigated as a hate crime, came from figures in the Bay Area – where Kaepernick once starred as San Francisco 49ers quarterback.
“Steve Kerr has always had a strong voice and a focus on communities of color,” renowned sociologist Harry Edwards told USA TODAY Sports. “Now that Gabe Kapler has hooked it up to the anthem, you’re getting attention to it that wouldn’t have come otherwise.
“It may not bring about change. I don’t know how many legislators from red states and blue states taking money from the NRA will change their votes. But it’s not about whether they will change the minds of legislators. The question is, ‘Are they making a contribution?’ To that I say an emphatic, ‘Yes.’ "
I wanted to hear the perspective of Edwards, a major Bay Area figure in his own right, given his history. Long before he was a consultant for the 49ers and Major League Baseball, Edwards organized the Olympic Project for Human Rights, which culminated with the raised-fist, “Black Power” protests by gold medalist Tommie Smith and bronze medalist John Carlos on the medal stand at the 1968 Summer Olympics at Mexico City.
Like Kaepernick, Smith and Carlos were ostracized by a large swath of America for their decision to protest conditions of Black people.
Kapler and Kerr, meanwhile, have had none of the intense blowback – which is how it should be. Black protesters have historically been treated with a harsher double standard.
“When Kaep addressed the issues with the treatment of Black people by police, (too many) people made that situation about the flag, the anthem, disrespecting the military,” Edwards said. “When Gabe and Kerr come out and say the general gun culture must be addressed, they get credibility.
“I’m not surprised that they don’t pay the price that Kaepernick paid. Or that Smith and Carlos paid. Or that (boxer Muhammad) Ali paid. That so many others have paid. When white males stand up and say, ‘We have to do something about this problem,’ it is received differently. That’s part of the struggle. I don’t begrudge Gabe and Steve. It’s part of the deal. It always has been. I’m just glad they had enough courage, insight and conviction to say enough is enough.”
That same message has been expressed, too, by Washington Mystics star Natasha Cloud, who has staged a “media blackout” when it comes to basketball issues and, like Kerr, implored lawmakers to act. Cloud conducted a similar blackout in 2019 to address gun violence after stray bullets hit an elementary school near the WNBA team’s practice facility in Washington. Last week, Cloud also issued a passionate challenge to members of the Washington Nationals and Washington Capitals to better use their platforms to raise awareness.
This week, it’s a safe bet that, as she has in previous years, Cloud will wear orange on Friday to promote National Gun Violence Awareness Day.
Edwards won’t tell you that activism is more acceptable on the sports landscape.
“What I see are more countless, recurring waves around critical issues,” he said. “These are the latest.”
Edwards pauses to give a quick history lesson, mentioning the case of the late Rose Robinson, an American U.S. high jumper who protested by refusing to stand for the national anthem – she sat on a water cooler, Edwards recalled – during the Pan American Games at Chicago in 1959.
Back then and now, there is authentic purpose behind the protests. What’s changed is the technology that bolsters the messaging.
“Social media has given Gabe and Steve a leverage that is truly modern because of the number of people who can react,” Edwards said. “That allows an aura of acceptability, rather than leaving it to the mainstream media. You reach a greater, immediate audience.
“Kaepernick was kicked out of the NFL, but at the same time, Nike felt committed to him as there were so many people who appreciated the stand that he took.”
Which is why Kaepernick will never be forgotten for exercising his First Amendment rights.
Follow USA TODAY Sports' Jarrett Bell on Twitter @JarrettBell.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Gabe Kapler doesn't pay price Colin Kaepernick did for speaking out
