The National Anthem is one of the most powerful and identifiable songs around the globe. Even Colin Kaepernick thought this, as evidenced by his attention-grabbing initiative to sit while the National Anthem was played at a San Francisco 49ers game.
However, he is not a viable candidate to bring this kind of attention to the problem of police brutality. Most people prefer credibility when it comes to national issues.
Past conflicts, like the riots in Ferguson, Missouri, continued for quite some time before even President Barrack Obama stepped in and said “enough.”
This is not an argument of whether Kaepernick has the right to sit down during the National Anthem. He is well within his rights. This is a matter of whether or not he is the right person to have done so. He is far from it.
Kaepernick is a backup quarterback on a team that has been steadily declining in popularity over the past few years. Not to mention, his work ethic and performance have been declining faster than the popularity of the team that is overpaying him.
In 2012, Kaepernick threw only three interceptions in 13 games as quarterback. Last season, he threw five interceptions in nine games, and he’s  been getting lazier ever since.
When he first came into the league, he was known for his ability to avoid being sacked even though the 49ers had a bad offensive line. In 2015, he was sacked 12 more times than his second year in the NFL, and he played four less games.
The point is that there has been more controversy over why this second-string quarterback is sitting for the National Anthem than the actual reason he chose to sit.
Kaepernick himself was aware of the misdirection his protest brought when he stated in a USA Today news article, “The media painted this as I am anti-American, anti-men-and-women of the military.”
The cause he wants to draw attention to is a major issue in this country and because his specific protest was done in an unprofessional way, it drew a lot of attention away from the matter at hand.
Kaepernick did not help this issue when he decided to mock the police by wearing socks to practice with pigs wearing police hats on them.
In order to bring attention to a cause in an appropriate manner, you need to be professional, not mock the other side of the issue.
It’s great that we live in a country where we are free to express our views and feelings on a subject, but in a fragile time like the one we currently find our country in, we need to be careful how we take a stand for our beliefs. Colin Kaepernick, stand up.