Radio Show: Colin Kaepernick & The National Anthem

Activist Aaron Baldwin joined me last night to discuss the recent controversy surrounding San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick' decision to not stand during the singing of the national anthem during football games.

After last Friday's pre-season game where Kaepernick remained seated during the anthem, he told reporters, "I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses Black people and people of color. 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.”

Folks across the country called Kaepernick out for being "unpatriotic." On social media, there were calls for Kaepernick to leave the country if he's not happy here. Others called him a wealthy athlete who is disconnected from average America.

One the other side of the debate, however, there are lots of folks who say Kaepernick has a right to free speech. And a hashtag - #VeteransForKaepernick - has been trending on Twitter lately.

Thursday night, during the 49ers game with the San Diego Chargers, he took a knee with team mate Eric Reid during the national anthem. After that game, he announced he will be donating $1 million to communities of need.

Listen below as Aaron and I look at how this is being played out between sports fans across the country.

San Francisco 49ers Say North Carolina's HB2 is "Is Bad For Our Employees, Bad For Our Fans, And Bad For Business"

In North Carolina for the NFL owner's meeting, San Francisco 49ers CEO Jed York did not miss his opportunity to address the recent anti-LGBT legislation passed there.

York met with LGBT advocates, transgender North Carolinians and made a $75,000 donation to Equality North Carolina Foundation to help repeal HB2.

The 49ers CEO also released this statement:

"The San Francisco 49ers are deeply concerned about North Carolina's recently-enacted House Bill 2, which overturned protections for LGBT people and sanctioned discrimination across the state. HB 2 does not reflect the values of our organization, of our country, or the majority of North Carolinians.

"We firmly believe that discriminatory laws such as HB 2 are bad for our employees, bad for our fans, and bad for business. We believe that HB 2 will make it far more challenging for businesses across the state to recruit and retain the nation's best and brightest workers and attract the most talented students from across the country. It will also diminish the state's draw as a destination for sporting events, tourism and conventions, and new business activity.

"Discrimination is wrong, and we believe it has no place in North Carolina or anywhere in our country. As an organization that prides ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming to all, we strongly urge Governor Pat McCrory and the leadership of North Carolina's legislature to repeal this law in the current legislative session."

Sean Chapin, LGBT activist, calls on the SF 49ers to explain the confusion over their "It Gets Better" video

Sean Chapin, the activist behind the Change.org petition that convinced the San Francisco 49ers to be the first NFL team to make an 'It Gets Better' video, has questions. He says the team needs to address the remarks made by linebacker Ahmad Brooks and nose tackle Isaac Sopoaga last week in the days before the Super Bowl.

Brooks and Sopoaga both denied participating in the video, and then, when they were shown it, said they never knew it had anything to do with gays, and then appeared to want to distance themselves from it.

In light of all of this, Sean Chapin has questions.

Their comments led Dan Savage to pull the video from the 'It Gets Better' site.

Savage then tweeted: "We've removed the #49ers #ItGetsBetter video from our website. #homophobia #NFL #horsesh*t"

SF 49ers Brooks & Sopoaga deny participating in "It Gets Better" video

Another wrinkle in the discussion around San Francisco 49ers and gays unfolded yesterday as two players, linebacker Ahmad Brooks and nose tackle Isaac Sopoaga, were being questioned by reporters about Chris Culliver's anti-gay remarks.

In light of Brooks and Sopoaga participation in the 49ers 'It Gets Better' video last year, reporters assumed they would have an broader perspective on the issue. However, now there is a new chapter to the 49ers anti-gay story as Brooks and Sopoaga both denied participating in the video. Even when they were shown it, they stated they never knew it had anything to do with gays.

USA Today:

At first, Brooks and Sopoaga, approached by USA TODAY Sports, denied being part of the project.

"I didn't make any video," Brooks said. "This is America and if someone wants to be gay, they can be gay. It's their right. But I didn't make any video."

When told USA TODAY Sports had seen the video and he was in it, Brooks replied, "I don't remember that. I think if I made a video, I'd remember it." He was shown the video on an iPhone.

"Oh, that. It was an anti-bullying video, not a gay (rights) video," he said.

When told that studies show that the majority of teens who are bullied are harassed over sexual identity issues, Brooks thought for a second. "I know that. I know that," he said. "Okay, you're right and I'm wrong. Are you from one of those New York newspapers?"

Unfortunately, someone apparently forgot to deliver the message to the players that this was a video that supported gay rights.

Sopoaga, too, denied making the video, even while teammate Will Tukuafu, who overheard the question, tried to refresh his memory. "Yeah, you made that video, remember?" Tukuafu said.

"No," Sopoaga said. "I never went. And now someone is using my name." Sopoaga was shown the video. "What was that for?" he asked.

To ask teens to stop bullying other teens because of sexual identity, he was told.

"Yeah, OK," he said. Would you like to comment on it, he was asked. "No," he said.

Multiple players wanted to be in the video, USA Today adds, but only the most intimidating players were chosen.

Dan Savage tweeted last night: "We've removed the #49ers #ItGetsBetter video from our website. #homophobia #NFL #horsesh*t"

For the record, here is the video that Brooks & Sopoaga "forgot" they participated in:

(source)

San Francisco 49ers release first NFL team "It Gets Better" video

Today, the San Francisco 49ers became the first NFL team to join the international It Gets Better Project that tells LGBT youth the truth: life can stink, but things do indeed improve.

Watch 49ers players Ahmad Brooks, Ricky Jean Francois, Isaac Sopoaga, and Donte Whitner send the positive message that life does get better.

"The San Francisco 49ers are proud to join ItGetsBetter.org, to let all LGBT teens know that It Gets Better," says Whitner as he and his teammates explain that life's challenges make us who we are and that any difficulty we overcome together will make us a stronger person tomorrow.

I have to say, I love all of these videos but this one really gets me a bit.  Maybe because when I was struggling with my "self" and figuring out who I was as a teenager, my best friends were football players in high school.  Those two guys, John and David, always made me feel a part of the group even when we were around kids who bullied me and called me names.  Of course, that activity didn't happen when John and David were around.  Not only were they popular, but they were also two big guys :)

Their friendship helped give me courage to figure myself out and  eventually be who I am.

I hope this video does that for some kids out there today.