San Francisco 49ers

Colin Kaepernick's protest at the intersection of patriotism and athletics is far from new

Published Oct. 20, 2016 4:36 p.m. ET

Barry Werner

Political statements made by athletes, such as the one San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is making by sitting for the national anthem, are neither frequent nor unfamiliar.

Perhaps the most famous such statement was the one made by Olympians Tommie Smith and John Carlos after their 1-3 finish in the 200M race at the 1968 Summer Games in Mexico City.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYeX1bNROJM

However, four years later at the Munich Olympics two other track athletes made their own political statement, in what is known as “The Forgotten Protest.”

Vince Matthews and Wayne Collett casually stood during the anthem.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncf9v8UyxaA

Per The Associated Press:

Collett, bare-footed, leaped from the No. 2 tier to the No. 1 stand beside his teammate. They stood sideways to the flag, twirling their medals, with Matthews stroking his chin. Their shoulders slumped, neither stood erect nor looked at the flag. ... As whistles and catcalls continued, Collett raised a clenched fist to the crowd before entering the portal of the dressing room.

In an interview after the medal ceremony with the American Broadcasting Company, Collett said the national anthem meant nothing to him. He explained that he had felt unable to honor the anthem because of the struggle faced by African Americans at the time: "I couldn't stand there and sing the words because I don't believe they're true. I wish they were. I believe we have the potential to have a beautiful country, but I don't think we do." The pair were banned from future Olympic competition by the IOC.

While the rest of the arena stood patriotically still, eyes transfixed on Old Glory in the rafters... by the dawn's early light... Abdul-Rauf, wearing the jersey with No. 1... what so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming... stood with his hands on his hips... whose broad stripes and bright stars... He stretched. ... through the perilous fight... He bent over and slid his hands to his calves, to his ankles... O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming... Stretching to the tips of his $100 sneakers. And the rockets red glare... He looked everywhere but at the flag. ...the bombs bursting in air. Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there... Then he sat down. O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave... It suddenly was clear to everyone that he didn't give a s--t about that song, and that he didn't care who knew it.

The biggest affront for Abdul-Rauf, however, was when the 6,600-square-foot home he was building outside Gulfport was spray painted with Ku Klux Klan symbols and vandalized repeatedly. The 53-acre complex was to become the Abdul-Raufs' Muslim heaven on earth, with its own cattle to slaughter, fresh water to drink, and a garden to tend. But instead of moving in, the couple decided to sell the property for $1 million, citing fears of raising children in such an outwardly hostile environment. The house slogged on the market for months. Then someone burned it down in the summer of 2001.

On Saturday, Nov. 28, Knox College basketball star Ariyana Smith took the floor before her team’s basketball game with her arms raised in a “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” posture during the singing of the national anthem. Walking toward the American flag with her hands still raised in the air, Smith fell to the ground and lay there for a full 4.5 minutes to symbolize the 4.5 hours that Michael Brown’s body lay in the streets of Ferguson, Missouri. Her coach immediately suspended her indefinitely; Knox College later reversed the punishment, stating that the decision was representative of the coach and not the school.

“I could not go into that gym and pretend that everything was OK,” said Smith, whose college game against Fontbonne University was in Clayton, Missouri, the same city where the grand jury chose not to indict officer Darren Wilson. “I could not play in good conscience. I could not play that game.”

On Sunday, Deidra Chatman, a 6-foot-6 freshman at the University of Virginia, became the second college basketball player to demonstrate against a possible war. Before a nationally televised game with eighth-ranked North Carolina, Chatman stood in line with her teammates and coaches in front of the bench. As the American flag was carried to midcourt, Chatman turned toward the baseline.

''I did not intend for my actions on Sunday to offend anyone,'' the statement said. ''I would much rather have the attention focused on our team. Since we are a team, in the future I will stand with my teammates facing the flag honoring our country.''

''Deidra Chatman was making a personal statement when she decided to face away from the American flag during the playing of the national anthem. Ms. Chatman was not speaking on behalf of the university.''

"For years I have wondered how I would’ve weathered the backlash from my protest in the age of social media. Now, I am watching it happen. Colin Kaepernick has a vastly greater platform than I did, which will make his protest more visible, more impactful and more dangerous. I am beyond proud of his conviction and hope sports fans who cheered him on for his athletic skills will stand by him still and affirm that we don’t check our freedoms in the locker room. For us activists, Colin will need our support and solidarity. He is using his platform to stand up to oppression, joining a small but growing number of athletes to do so. We should rise to the occasion, not just for him but for us as well."