Bosa, Kaepernick, and the Same Old Hypocrisy
San Francisco 49ers football player Nick Bosa made a bold political statement Sunday night, but no one is expecting him to suffer the punishment Colin Kaepernick received.
Bosa interrupted a post-game interview Sunday night to display a “Make America Great Again” cap, openly endorsing the former president for the 2024 presidential election.
When Kaepernick kneeled during the National Anthem in 2016 to protest racism and police brutality, there was a national uproar.
Fans protested and refused to patronize the NFL.
The former president said that NFL owners should fire players who protested.
Kaepernick lost his job after that season and hasn’t played since.
There is no logical reason for his unemployment except that NFL owners refuse to hire him because of the societal backlash and his race.
Meanwhile, Bosa has received lots of approval for his action.
Some have tried to point out that other NFL players have endorsed presidential candidates. Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker also endorsed the former president while Thomas Booker IV of the Philadelphia Eagles endorsed Kamala Harris.
Their point is that Bosa shouldn’t be punished if other players aren’t punished for their endorsements.
But there are several differences between Kaepernick’s actions and Bosa’s, and between Bosa’s endorsement versus Butker’s and Booker’s.
First, Butker and Booker didn’t interrupt a network interview with their endorsements. NBC doesn’t want politics interjected into their sporting event. Butker and Booker made their endorsements on their own time, not NBC’s or the NFL’s.
Second, Bosa made a spectacle of himself while Kaepernick protested quietly. Kaepernick’s protest was silent. It became an issue because the media made it an issue.
Finally, a social media post has been unearthed of Bosa’s made during the Kaepernick protests. On August 31, 2016, when Kaepernick began his protests during the NFL preseason, Bosa posted the following:
Kaepernick is a clown.
What’s clownish for Kaepernick is apparently commendable for Bosa.
The overarching difference between the reaction of Kaepernick versus Bosa is the difference between Kaepernick being Black and Bosa being White.
Black athletes are constantly held to a higher standard than White athletes.
Will Laura Ingraham tell Bosa to shut up and sack quarterbacks like she told Lebron James to “shut up and play ball” when he made political statements?
Of course not.
Black athletes have always endured more scrutiny, more criticism, and more consequences than White athletes.
Supposedly, there’s a chance that Bosa may incur a fine.
If he does, so what?
He will still be allowed to play football.
Colin Kaepernick was blackballed (literally and figuratively) during his prime playing years.
No monetary fine will even out that score.