Kaepernick's Activism Journey

Growing up in a mixed-race family, Kaepernick has stated that he has always been aware of the differences in how he was treated compared to his white siblings. The Kaepernick family lived in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, until Colin was four years old, before moving to Turlock, California. Turlock is a city with a majority white population, and "fewer than 2 percent of residents identify as African-American" (Branch, 2017). As one of the few people of color in Turlock, Colin became used to people assuming that he was not with his family when they were in public together. In a New York Times article, Kaepernick gives an anecdote about how he was rarely assumed to be a part of his family because of their different racial backgrounds. At one point, a motel manager asked young Kaepernick if there was something they could help with because they believed that he was a Black man standing too close to a group of white people to whom he had no relation (Branch, 2017). 

From 2007 to 2001, Colin Kaepernick attended the University of Nevada on a football scholarship, where he majored in business management and continued to excel academically. Moving from his small town to a university setting led Colin to think a lot more about his identity and the ways in which his race had impacted his life. He began to learn about the experiences that other people of color had while growing up, and "...his curiosity in African-American history and culture began to foment..." (Branch, 2017). Kaepernick faced racist treatment from white teammates because he was a Black quarterback, as well as occasionally facing racist treatment from Black teammates for being raised by a white family. In his junior year of college, Kaepernick joined Kappa Alpha Psi, a majority Black fraternity, with his friend and teammate Brandon Marshall (Branch, 2017). 

In the first years of his NFL career, Kaepernick was largely regarded as a positive influence in the football world, and most of his posts online were centered around positive and un-remarked upon interactions with fans. In 2013, "...he mostly thanked fans, promoted appearances and kept opinions to himself..." (Branch, 2017). In an interview in 2013, Kaepernick reported that supporters had written to him for many reasons, some of which include; his tattoos, because he is adopted, and his biracial identity. However, some of these early responses to him as a player and as a public figure were less than positive. One reporter stated that Kaepernick's tattoos made him look like a criminal, and others were upset at the fact that he didn't show interest in reuniting with his birth mother after she reached out and said that she wanted a relationship with her son. As the way that the press viewed Kaepernick changed, so did his demeanor in interviews. He went from the player who, in college, was known for being "...deft and polished with the news media..." to the NFL player who was "...all sulking expressions and terse answers" (Branch, 2017). After the 49ers somewhat average season in 2014, Kaepernick's name was fading from the minds of the public and from the headlines. 

Anti-Racist, not Anti-Military

Even with the endorsement of a former Green Beret, many NFL fans and viewers were upset at Kaepernick's method of protest. Kaepernick and teammates who have kneeled with him have been met with "...boos and angry shouts..." (Beacham, 2016), and in some cases, "...profanity and obscene gestures..." from veterans in the stands (Beacham, 2016). One NFL fan even brought a sign with them to hold in the stands that read "You're an American. Act like one." (Beacham, 2016). Kaepernick has reported that through social media, he has received death threats, while others who protested in solidarity across the country (and across multiple sports and age groups) were "...called the N-word and threatened with lynching..." (Gregory, 2016). The NFL faced pressure over the years from fans, sponsors, and politicians to punish players who kneeled during the national anthem, or to ban the action altogether. In 2018, the NFL released a set of rules regarding kneeling during the national anthem where they stated that all players, coaches, and staff are required to stand. One caveat they added was that players could remain in the locker room during the playing of the anthem, in order to protest, seemingly missing the fact that the public nature of kneeling is what made the form of protest effective.  Following backlash from this decision, the NFL quickly stated that players would not be punished for kneeling. Throughout it all, the protestors continued to spread their message, as teammates and coaches joined them. 

In the years since these harsh responses from fans and the media, public opinion has slowly shifted. Kaepernick remains a controversial figure, but more people have come to understand the motivation behind his actions, and have learned about the realities of police brutality in the United States. In 2020, the NFL released a statement regarding the Black Lives Matter movement, which was met with many comments asking why they hadn't supported players' protests before. In response, the league released a video stating that they were wrong for not listening to players' protests and calls for action and that they should've been more receptive to these messages. They did not, however, mention Kaepernick or any other players by name. 

Burning Shoes

When Nike announced its collaboration with Colin Kaepernick in 2018, the reactions ranged from supportive comments on social media posts to cutting up and burning Nike shoes and products. Nike customers who disliked Kaepernick's method of protest and felt that it was a way of disrespecting the military chose to display their disagreement by posting images and videos online of their destroyed Nike gear. One person cut the top off of their Nike socks so that the "swoosh" logo wasn't visible, one person doused their sneakers in gasoline before setting them on fire, and another lit the shoes on fire while still wearing them (Sporting News, 2018).  

These attempts from fans to shame or "cancel" Nike into cutting ties or ending the collaboration with Kaepernick were unsuccessful in many ways. Nike stood by their decision to release these ads, along with ads featuring Serena Williams and Odell Beckham Jr, and did not cut ties with Kaepernick after the backlash. Canceling is "...a choice to withdraw one's attention from someone or something whose values, (in)action, or speech are so offensive, one no longer wishes to grace them with their presence, time, and money" (Clark, 2020, p. 88). In this case, customers who wanted to "cancel" Nike for engaging with Kaepernick did so by refusing to buy new Nike products and destroying the ones they currently owned. They did, however, continue to draw attention to Nike's brand and collaboration with Kaepernick, which does not seem to align with their goals of "canceling" the brand. The symbolic gesture of destroying products wasn't hurting Nike financially- in fact, "...whatever minor hit Nike's stock [took] in the immediate aftermath is outweighed by the long-term attention the brand has received" (Abad-Santos, 2018). Additionally, supporters of Kaepernick's message and Nike's decision to work with him might see these protests and decide to buy more Nike products, doing the opposite of what the protestors wanted from their shaming campaign.