Just Do It

I just barely know who Colin Kaepernick is. I don’t watch football and I have no idea which team he is on or if he is even on a team anymore. I had definitely heard about the squabble regarding his taking a knee during the national anthem and it didn’t affect me really. I absolutely love my country, but I didn’t see any disrespect in his actions. Just the opposite, I thought he was saying that everyone in our country deserves respect and if that is not happening, someone has to say something.

I didn’t want to get involved in politics on this blog. I have plenty of opinions, but I’m not about to start a fight with someone on the internet over that. If you want to talk, let’s have coffee and really talk and hear each other. I think that’s where a lot of problems arise these days. No one listens. They’ve already decided what’s up and they close their ears if anything even resembling a contrary opinion comes their way. I do it too. I don’t want to hear the opposite side. But I need to.

I do understand that the flag represents something more than its physical presence. It’s not just a piece of fabric. It represents respect for our country and the millions of people that helped to make it what it is; people that died for our freedom. It is a pretty great country after all and the flag is an important representation of that, as is the national anthem. I cry when I hear the anthem before sporting events. It means something to me.

Colin Kaepernick has a belief too about all people being treated equally and he chose a way to express that belief and I respect that. That took guts. People talking shit about him and spitting on him. Does he even have a job now because of it? I don’t really know.

And now Nike chose to run a commercial featuring Kaepernick and people are up in arms. “Boycott Nike!” says our Lieutenant Governor. Well, that was just about all I could handle. I actually used to not buy Nike at all. Years and years ago, I thought I had seen something about them having factories in Asia where they made 8 year olds work for 3 cents an hour or something. Over the years though, I found that they make the only running shoe that works for me. I’ve bought dozens of pairs. Once every 3-4 months, I buy the same Nike shoe in black. And they make great running shorts. They are more modest than the usual short shorts and I am not 20 any longer. And the dry-fit shirts are perfect for this humid weather. So apparently, now I am a Nike fan (I hope the rumor about 8 year olds was untrue!).

Has anyone actually watched this commercial? It is beautiful. On an emotional day, I would probably cry. It’s about dreaming big and going for it. It’s about standing up for what you believe in no matter what you have to lose. Isn’t that what American IS all about? Sounds like this guy is a pretty patriotic guy after all.