Treatment of Black Athletes in the US

SUBJUGATION OF BLACK ATHLETES

Black athletes have been the victim of economic subjugation for quite some time. People such as Colin Kaepernick and other African American athletes have tried to fight against this practice. Capitalism and commodification are major reasons why black athletes are told to stick to sports and are denied the rights to be starters as quarterbacks in the NFL. The National Anthem has been a major controversy in which many black athletes have not stood for it, in an effort to acknowledge racism against the black community.

Commodification means transferring
goods, services, and/or people into commodities. In a sense, the individuals
are devalued and not treated as someone who is worthy of respect od dignity.
For instance, instead of encouraging young black men to get an advanced degree,
such as a Master’s degree or a doctorate, many of these men are encouraged to
go into sports. However, joining a sport is not encouraged for their own gain,
but for a way that other people can make money off of African American
athletes, such as managers, coaches, and owners of sports teams in the NFL,
NBA, and MLB.

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Racism has been a major challenge in
the United States, especially in the world of sports. Black athletes have been
subjected to subjugation on many levels.  African American athletes have struggled to
get starting jobs in sports, such as the NFL. Studies have also shown that the
NFL has showed much bias against African American quarterbacks. This shows institutional
prejudice and discrimination in the NFL.

Institutional racism is
discrimination that is carried out by organizations, governments, or groups.
Some groups are stripped of their rights, while other groups possess greater
rights. Institutional racism been directed toward many minorities, such as
African Americans. White individual rights versus African Americans  [1](Johnson,
2006) [i]One
of the ways that black subjugation has occurred in the NFL is the case of black
quarterback Colin Kaepernick. His decision to kneel while the National Anthem
played was to protest racism in America that minorities face.

The case of former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is an incident of racism against African Americans playing in the NFL. Kaepernick, a Black quarterback, chose to to start kneeling during the National Anthem that is heard before every NFL football games. The quarterback wanted to show how much he believes that people live in a racist country where African Americans are not respected. Unfortunately, his actions created a major problem and controversy in the America and the NFL [2](Kane & Tiell, 2017).

Because of Kaepernick’s stance on
kneeling during the National Anthem, he has not secured employment in the NFL
since becoming a free agent with the team. Several NFL teams, such as the
Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos, and Chicago Bears have needed a quarterback,
but they did not sign Kaepernick, a capable quarterback. This shows racism.
Kaepernick wanted racism to be exposed. 
Kaepernick has helped eradicate racism by giving to charities. He talked
to reporters after American noticed that he was kneeling during the National
Anthem. According to Sandritter [3]
(2016, p. 1), “He spoke about injustice and the fact that he wanted to present
an uncomfortable conversation in hopes that the country could become unified on
the topic.” Some people lived the life of oppression and discrimination and
identified with him (Kane & Tiell, 2017). 
Kaepernick was fighting police brutality against black Americans such as
Treyvon Martin gtting killed by officer George Zimmerman and Freddie Grey
getting his spine broken.

Donald Trump’s reaction to Kaepernick
and NFL players kneeling created dissension. He said that NFL players who kneel
should be fired. He called them unpatriotic and a disgrace. Trump referred to
them as brown people and used swear words to describe black people that signals
that racism. This encouraged even NFL players to take a knee during the anthem.
(Cummings, 2017) [4].
When Trump told the NFL that anyone that kneels for the National Anthem should
be fired, he was demonstrating the power of the bureaucracy. The government got
too involved in the situation of the National Anthem and convinced many people
to boycott the NFL and not watch it anymore.

The case of former San Francisco
49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is an example of racism against African
Americans in the NFL. Kaepernick, an African American quarterback, decided to
start kneeling during the National Anthem that is played before football games
to show his disdain for racism that is inherent in the United States. This
created a huge controversy in the NFL (Kane and Tiell 2017).

Because of Kaepernick’s stance on
kneeling during the National Anthem, he has not been able to find a job in the
NFL since becoming a free agent with the team. Several NFL teams, such as the
Baltimore Ravens, Miami Dolphins, and the Chicago Bears have needed a
quarterback, but the teams all refused to sign Kaepernick. Many people feel
that this is a sign of racism.

Kaepernick was trying to shed light
on several issues of racism that exist in society.  Kaepernick has helped eradicate racism by
giving to charities. He talked to reporters after American noticed that he was
kneeling during the National Anthem. According to Sandritter (2016, p. 1), “He
spoke about injustice and the fact that he wanted to present an uncomfortable
conversation in hopes that the country could become unified on the topic.” Some
people were on his side, as they knew what it was like to experience oppression
and racism.  They identified with his
words and supported Kaepernick (Kane and Tiell 2017).  Kaepernick was also protesting police
brutality against African Americans, such as Treyvon Martin getting shot and
killed by officer George Zimmerman and Freddie Grey getting his spine broken
for police officers while in jail.

Donald Trump’s response to Kaepernick
and NFL players kneeling created much more outrage. He said that NFL players
who kneel should be fired. He also referred to them as unpatriotic and
disloyal. He also called them brown people and used cure words to describe
them. That signals that racism. This encouraged even more NFL players to kneel
during the anthem (Cummings 2017). Kaepernick has not
been able to secure an NFL job as a back-up quarterback or starter, despite
Kaepernick being more talented than many of the quarterbacks that have gotten a
chance in the NFL. For instance, the Buffalo Bills needed a new quarterback
when they traded Tyrod Taylor. They ended up taking a quarterback named A.J.
McCarron from the Cincinnati Bengals. McCarron has only played six games as a
starter and has sat behind Cincinnati first string quarterback Andy Dalton for
about four years. On the contrary, Kaepernick took the San Francisco 49ers to
the Super Bowl in 2013. The Baltimore Ravens also passed on taking Kaepernick
as a back-up when they needed one, as well as many other teams that needed a
decent quarterback but still passed on Kaepernick.

Kaepernick taking a stand for racism
has cost him a job in the NFL. However, the story is not over here. Recently,
the case has taken a new twist. According to a CNN article, “Colin Kaepernick’s
legal team is expected to seek subpoenas for President Donald Trump, Vice
President Mike Pence and other campaign officials relating to the quarterback’s
collusion case against the NFL, a source familiar with the ongoing grievance
process has told CNN” (Martin 2018, 1).

Because
Kaepernick, an African American quarterback, has stood up against racism, he is
being punished by many teams in the NFL, who prefer not to have him on the
team, due to the controversy that it may cause. Trump has put himself in the middle
of the National Anthem situation by calling out NFL players. The traditional trip
to the White House by the Super Bowl winner, which this year was the
Philadelphia Eagles, was canceled by Trump. Trump said it was due for players
not standing for the anthem when the true reason is that the White House did
not anticipate that many players showing up for the visit (Martin
2018).

Vice President Mike Pence has also
created some controversy about the NFL and the National Anthem. This past year,
Pence left an NFL game between the San Francisco 49ers and Indianapolis Colts,
due to some players kneeling during the Anthem. Pence tweeted that it is a sign
of disrespect to American soldiers.  However,
if a white man such as Tom Brady would have knelt down during the National
Anthem, he may have been forgiven and not subjected to such harsh treatment.

The crackdown on African American
players expressing their feelings about racism in the United States is evident
in the latest news on the anthem. This is evident in the following passage, “Last
month, NFL team owners decided that players must stand
during the National Anthem this season, a reaction to fierce
backlash against some who took a knee in symbolic opposition to what they view
as the systemic oppression of people of color, including by police” (Martin 2018, 2). NFL Commissioner
Roger Goodell said that any player and NFL personnel who refuse to stand for
the National Anthem will be fined. Players who do not want to stand may sit in
the locker room, while the Anthem is playing. Every NFL team can create rules
for players who do not follow them. The fact that most players who do not stand
for the anthem are African American is an example of black subjugation on a
personal and economic level. If fans see that certain player are always in the
locker room during the National Anthem, this can create some resentment that
makes the lives and performance of African American athletes who stood up more
precarious. Many fans became angry at athletes that did not stand for the
National Anthem. Several fans stopped watching football, due to this
controversy, these people siding with Trump and influenced by his views on the
anthem (Martin 2018).

Perhaps, the black athlete who
refused to stand for the anthem will be the will be the first guy who is traded
or not kept on an NFL team when a new contract is being created. In this way,
the black athletes who do not stand are being subjected to commodification. They
are not being valued as people. The real value being placed on the situation by
Goodell is in the loss of tickets sales and NFL viewers who stopped watching
the sport. Greed and money are more important than the African Americans in
this country that are being subjected to economic subjugation and racism every
day. The problem of African Americans being shot by white police officers is
not something that is being valued by the NFL. The act of African Americans
losing their lives over racist police officers is not being prioritized. On the
contrary, money and high ratings for the NFL is all that seems to matter to
people such as Goodell and people involved in making money from the NFL.

Not respecting African American
athletes is something that seems to start in college. A study that examined 168
African American males and how stereotypes and prejudice affected the grades of
these African American college athletes revealed interesting results. The study
showed the following results, “Racial and athletic identity dimensions were
found to moderate the relationships between discrimination and the academic
outcomes of these individuals” (Fuller 2017, 402). While African American male college
athletes responded well to specific types of stigma, such as academic
stereotypes that other people have of them, by being infused with resiliency to
get good grades, the same did not hold true when these athletes were exposed to
discrimination. When discrimination occurred, the academic performance of these
athletes achievement was affected in a negative way. The study results are
better described as, “Rather than it being an either/or scenario, this study
demonstrates how the tenets of stereotype threat and stereotype management can
be both/and with respect to the academic outcomes of African American male
college athletes” (Fuller 2017, 421) [5]
This shows that how African American students do in school is a combination of
many factors that are not that simple to predict

African American quarterbacks are
judged more stringently than white quarterbacks and subjected black
quarterbacks to more stereotypes. Prior research supports this. A study
examines how white subjects “applied stereotypical descriptions of athletes to
White and Black professional quarterbacks” (Ferrucci, 2017, pp. 51-52) [6].  The results of the study demonstrated that
white subjects stereotyped the “other.” Yet, the subjects applied stereotypes
to black quarterbacks, but not white people (Ferrucci, 2017, p. 52). This shows
that white people give stereotypes to individuals they feel are not in the
in-group. White quarterbacks are regarded as more intelligent and better
leaders than black quarterbacks, which shows racism (Ferrucci, 2017).

A recent instance of racism concerns
Lamar Jackson, a quarterback from the Louisville Cardinals. The college
quarterback is African American. The fact that he is scrambling quarterback,
who managed to put up about 1500 yards in rushing this year on the ground has
contributed to some racism. Despite the Jackson has putting up over10,000 yards
passing and rushing his past two seasons, some people at the NFL Combine have
stated that he should switch to wide receiver. One of these people includes
Bill Polian, who was in the scouting department for the Buffalo Bills when they
had their Super Bowl teams in the 1990’s (Gaughan 2018) [7] A
black quarterback who has scrambling ability is often asked to switch
positions. However, a white quarterback is never asked to do the same thing.
White quarterbacks Steve Young, John Elway, and Steven Grogan were all white
quarterbacks who could also scramble well. They were never asked to switch
position. In this year’s NFL draft, Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen is being
slated as a higher pick and better quarterback, even though his completion
percentage is lower than Jackson’s completion percentage (Gaughan 2018).

To stand up for himself, Jackson
refused to do the 40-yard dash in the Combine. This is evident in the following
passage of, “Jackson dismissed any suggestion of a position switch when talking
to reporters at the combine last month. He declined to run the 40-yard dash in
Indianapolis and at his pro-day workout on Thursday” (Gaughan 2018, 2).

Furthermore, African American
athletes are often regarded as individuals with all brawn and not much brain.
For example, a study conducted 17 years ago by the group Children Now showed
some interesting results that support the fact that black subjugation happens.
When looking at 1500 video game characters in certain video games, almost 300
were categorized as Black males. Almost 85% of these males of those were pegged
as built and chiseled athletes. The characters have big biceps and hulking
chests. This study shows that a certain image of Black males is being
supported. This stereotype is that African American males have better bodies
and more physically aggressive at the detriment of one’s brain and
intelligence.

Condredge Holloway was an African
American college quarterback in the 1970’s, who was also a great scrambling
quarterback. However, when he tried to get into the Alabama’s Crimson Tide
college program, he was told that Alabama was not ready for a black quarterback
and that he could play another position, such as defensive back or wide
receiver. This type of discrimination happened, due to the weird belief that
black people were not equipped to get into leadership positions, such as
quarterback. Holloway went on to play for the University if Tennessee and broke
all sorts of records in rushing and passing. It is unfortunate that Holloway
never got to play in the NFL, due to racism that is still inherent today (Silva 2011) [8].

On the basis of his assumptions,
Dahrendorf argues that society can be split up into the “command
class” and the “obey class” and class conflict should refer to
situations of struggle between those with authority and those without. Black
NFL players haved lacked the authority that white players have and are often
punished for expressing their beliefs (Tittenbrun 2013) [9].

Critical Race Theory is something
that has been used to describe how black athletes often get the short end of
the stick when it comes to transferring from a white college. A study by Cooper
and Hawkins focuses on this phenomenon. 
The main goal of the study was to “examine the experiences of Black male
student athletes who transferred from predominantly White institutions (PWIs)
to a Historically Black College/University (HBCU) in the southeastern United
States (U.S.)” (Cooper and Hawkins 2014, 80). The study utilized a
one focus group interview and two interviews with each African American student
athletes who attended a certain university.

Critical race theory (CRT) was
applied as a theoretical framework to show how racism has an effect on the
participants’ experiences in various educational and sociocultural settings.  The key research topics of interest included
identifying the participants’ reasons for transferring from a PWI to a HBCU and
understanding their college experiences at the HBCU. Findings revealed
participants’ encounters with various forms of covert and overt racism at PWIs
resulted in negative college experiences, which motivated them to transfer to a
HBCU. Using tenets of CRT and a thematic analysis procedure, the following two
emergent themes were identified: “We Were the Outcasts” and “They Want to See
You Succeed.” Implications for policy and practice are discussed.

Black
quarterbacks have also not led their teams to a Super Bowl that much. The only
guys who have done it are Doug Williams from the Washington Redskins and
Russell Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks. Cam Newton and Steve McNair lost
Super Bowls. When Cam Newton, a black quarterback, throws a fit on the field,
yells at one of his players, or pouts about something, he is portrayed a s a
guy that is too emotional or out of line. However, white quarterback Tom Brady
has shown many instances of bad sportsmanship and excuses are given to him,
such as he likes to win. For instance, Brady yelled at his offensive
coordinator Josh McDaniels on the sideline during a game, but people kept
defending him by saying that Brady just gets fired up on the field and loves to
win. When Brady walked off the field without shaking the hand of Super Bowl MVP
Nick Foles, excused for Brady were made, such as him hating to lose and being
ultra-competitive. Black quarterbacks do not get that same luxury and are often
regarded as too emotional and having an ager issue. That is not fair and shows
that there is much racism in sports.

When looking at the Dahrendorf
theory, it shows that white quarterbacks are in the command class, while the
black quarterbacks are in the obey class. The black quarterbacks are oppressed
under the command class of white people. The system still seems to exist in the
NFL (Tittenbrun 2013).

One can also get a good look at how
discrimination happens by looking at how Ben Roethlisberger’s cases were
handled when he was accused of sexual assault twice. In 2009 and 2010, the
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback was accused of raping to women. One woman,
Andrea McNulty claimed that the quarterback asked her to come to his hotel room
to fix his television. According to McNulty, when she got there, Roethlisberger
grabbed her and raped her, despite her saying no. Roethlisberger also had help
covering it up, as stated by the following passage, “The suit alleged that
Roethlisberger had raped McNulty in his room at the hotel in July 2008; the
suit also alleged that the eight employees had aided in covering up the
assault” (Ben Roethlisberger, quarterback, twice accused of sexual assault 2015) [10].
This act of concealing the rape is a good example of how a bureaucracy, a group
of people who work together for a common function can be to the detriment of
society. The hotel people should not have been trying to cover that rape. Doing
that only makes things worse for women and makes what they say not as valued.

Looking
at it from a Feminist Theory perspective, one would say how a patriarchy is
prevalent in the NFL and many other areas and men are given greater rights and
power. Traditional gender roles keep women stuck and suggest that men have the
right to take what they want from women, such as sex. It is not right, and the
way that society perpetuates the belief is tough (Johnson 2006).

 In another instance, the quarterback was
accused of raping a college student in the bathroom of a bar while, while other
bodyguards guarded the door of the bathroom. However, the charges were dropped
in both cases, and Roethlisberger only had a four-game suspension from the NFL.
There was not as much social media in 2009 and 2010 and no video proof was
there (Ben Roethlisberger, quarterback, twice accused of sexual assault 2015).

However, African American running
back Ray Rice was treated much differently when a video was circulated online
of Rice punching his girlfriend in the face and knocking her unconscious in the
elevator of a casino. Rice was suspended from the NFL and has not been back in
the league since the Baltimore Ravens cut him in 2014. Rice, who has received
counseling and has talked about domestic violence to many people all over the
world and has still not been let back into the NFL. He has never played since
that day, and it is highly unlikely that he will ever play another down in the
NFL. Some may say he was let go, due to video proof that the Roethlisberger
case lacks, but it seems that racism played a great factor. Like
Roethlisberger, Rice did a lot for the community, which is evident in the
following words of, “In Baltimore, Rice had a reputation for kindness and
generosity and was widely viewed as empathetic and charitable. Rice was a
homeless advocate, a relentless supporter of Baltimore’s Make-A-Wish
Foundation, and an especially loud voice on the subject of cyberbullying” (Dean 2018, 1) [11].

What happened to Ray Rice can adhere
to what Gerald Lensky states in his theory that class is really just “an
aggregation of persons in a society who stand in a similar position with
respect to some form of power, privilege, or prestige”  (Tittenbrun 2013, 130). When the goal is to
get an answer to the question of which person gets certain things and the
reasons for it, then power classes are the main aim. He also viewed technology
as a gauge to how society progresses, which is explains the Rice case somewhat.
If you look at what happened to Rice, social media was more widespread and the
video of him punching his girlfriend was there for everyone to see. The burden
of proof was not there in the same way that Roethlisberger’s visual proof was
not there and failed to exist in the same way. Without that technology, would
Rice have been convicted? Rice is also in the race of being black.

In 2014, 12-year old African American
Tamir Rice was shot and killed by police officers in Cleveland, Ohio. None of
the police officers were found guilty in a court of law. Rice was shot and killed
in the city where basketball player Lebron James is famous. A native of Akron,
Ohio, James plays basketball in the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. James has
been an outspoken activist for Black Lives Matter and some civil rights.
However, when he was asked about the court verdict relating to Rice’s shooters
not being charged with a crime, James did not offer any input on the subject.
Instead, the basketball star just said that he did not have enough facts on the
situation to offer insight on the situation. (Gartland, 2016) [12].

Many people found it odd that James
did not express more anger and disdain for the police officers not serving any
time. Rice was also shot on a playground in Cleveland that is very close to the
Cleveland Cavaliers’ stadium. The reason that James did not offer a more
definite stance could be due to the fact that James’ big multi-million-dollar
contract depends on Cleveland helping to boost his image. Black economic
subjugation is something that James may have been worrying about in his
decision to not speak out against the law enforcement in the city that he plays
basketball in. Angering police officers in the city, people who may watch his
basketball games, could have had bad ramifications for James (James &
Jenkins, 2014). Would the brands and advertising that James has put his name on
pull him from their advertising if he took a stance on the issue of police
officers shooting African Americans?

James has referred to Cleveland as
his home several times (Berlinger & Martin, 2016, para. 12) [13].
James’ reaction is something that was surprising, which is demonstrated by the following
words, “For someone who had taken on the activist role in the past,
expectations for James to speak out or provide some sort of support were high.
Advocates within the Black Lives Matter movement called on James to take a
stand” (Coombs and Casillo 2017, Vol. 41(5) , 428)

 Some people on social
media also wanted James to not play games unless the federal Justice Department
got involved in the case. However, James did not do that, his desire to play
the game of basketball seemingly more important than taking a hard stance on
what happened in Cleveland (Coombs and Casillo 2017, Vol. 41(5) ).

Another famous instance of racism is The
case of Michael Bennett is another case where people and groups, such as Black
Lives Matter (BLM), are citing some racism. In the Super Bowl two years ago,
Bennett was watching his brother Martellus Bennett, a player for the New
England Patriots, play. When Michael realized that Martellus had won, Michael started
to walk on the field to congratulate his brother. However, according to police
officers, Michael, who was told that he cannot go through a set of doors,
charged through it anyway and knocked down an elderly 66- year old paraplegic
woman. She incurred some injuries. Bennett, who was charged and had to post
$10,000 bail may end up going to trial for the incident. Bennett could face 10
years in prison if found guilty and the case goes to trial. BLM feel that not
enough proof exists to charge Bennett (McManus 2018) [14]

Said Bennett’s lawyer Rusty Hardin, “I just don’t think he did it,” Hardin said.
“He certainly didn’t do anything intentionally, or negligibly or
recklessly push or hurt her. Now, did something else happen to her from
somebody else? I just don’t know” (McManus 2018, 1-2).

The Dahrendorf Theory states that
“Relations of command are those where internalized values structure both the
rights of principals to give orders and the corresponding obligations for
subalterns to obey” (Tittenbrun 2013, 133).

Racism has gotten much worse with
President Donald Trump has been elected. His presidency has seemed to shift the
country into a nation of people that believe it is acceptable to say racist
things, execute white privilege, participate in hates crimes, and ignore the
fact that racism exists and needs to be eradicated. I expect to learn different
aspects of racism, such as the factors that make it worse, why it still exists,
and the various ideas that exist regarding racism (Rein 2017).

As you can see, racism in the NFL,
especially against black quarterbacks, can be seen through how players such as
Colin Kaepernick, Michael Bennett, and Condredge Calloway, and Lamar Jackson
are treated as inferior. However, white NFL players, such as Tom Brady and Ben
Roethlisberger are given the benefit of the doubt. How Trump has gotten in the
way and theories, such as Dahrendorf, feminism, and Lensky show racism has been
able to persist in the NFL. Ray Rice, despite getting counseling and admitting
his wrongdoing and doing community service, has not been let back into the NFL,
which signified some type of possible racism.

It
is important to keep in mind how we can shift racist beliefs. They often happen
when youth and young adults experience up growing up. Most academic
institutions do not have classes devoted to racism, its solutions, and the bad
effects of racism. This is where social workers cans step in and start creating
in-services and seminars on racism for students, teacher and other educational staff
in schools. When people are educated on racism, then the likelihood of racism
being eradicated in society should lessen.

Racism
has been a major issue in the United States. It has been a problem that has
plagued law enforcement and the sports world. Research shows that African
American people have been shot and killed by police officers more than
individuals of other races. Studies have also shown that the NFL has been
discriminatory against African American quarterbacks. Both of these issues will
describe racism, what constitutes as institutional racism, and examples of
racism in the NFL.  Some solutions to
this problem, as well as three social works skills that can be utilized to
address this issue will be explained in this essay.

Institutional
racism is defined as racism and discrimination that is committed by certain
institutions, governments, or organizations against certain individuals. Their
rights are denied. Institutional racism has affected many minorities,
especially African Americans. Other groups, such as white people have more
inherent rights than African Americans (Johnson 2006). This racism still occurring today and
can be seen in the way that the NFL and other citizens have responded to
African American quarterback Colin Kaepernick and his decision to kneel during
the United States National Anthem.

The case of former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is an example of racism against African Americans in the NFL. Kaepernick, an African American quarterback, decided to start kneeling during the National Anthem that is played before football games to show his disdain for racism that is inherent in the United States. This created a huge controversy in the NFL (Kane and Tiell 2017).

Because
of Kaepernick’s stance on kneeling during the National Anthem, he has not been
able to find a job in the NFL since becoming a free agent with the team.
Several NFL teams, such as the Baltimore Ravens, Miami Dolphins, and the
Chicago Bears have needed a quarterback, but the teams all refused to sign
Kaepernick. Many people feel that this is a sign of racism.

Kaepernick was trying to shed light on several issues of racism that exist in society.  Kaepernick has helped eradicate racism by giving to charities. He talked to reporters after American noticed that he was kneeling during the National Anthem. According to Sandritter (2016, p. 1), “He spoke about injustice and the fact that he wanted to present an uncomfortable conversation in hopes that the country could become unified on the topic.” Some people were on his side, as they knew what it was like to experience oppression and racism.  They identified with his words and supported Kaepernick (Kane and Tiell 2017).  Kaepernick was also protesting police brutality against African Americans, such as Treyvon Martin getting shot and killed by officer George Zimmerman and Freddie Grey getting his spine broken for police officers while in jail.

Donald Trump’s response
to Kaepernick and NFL players kneeling created much more outrage. He said that
NFL players who kneel should be fired. He also referred to them as unpatriotic
and disloyal. He also called them brown people and used cure words to describe
them. That signals that racism. This encouraged even more NFL players to kneel
during the anthem (Cummings 2017). Kaepernick has not been
able to secure an NFL job as a back-up quarterback or starter, despite
Kaepernick being more talented than many of the quarterbacks that have gotten a
chance in the NFL. For instance, the Buffalo Bills needed a new quarterback
when they traded Tyrod Taylor. They ended up taking a quarterback named A.J.
McCarron from the Cincinnati Bengals. McCarron has only played six games as a
starter and has sat behind Cincinnati first string quarterback Andy Dalton for
about four years. On the contrary, Kaepernick took the San Francisco 49ers to
the Super Bowl in 2013. The Baltimore Ravens also passed on taking Kaepernick
as a back-up when they needed one, as well as many other teams that needed a
decent quarterback but still passed on Kaepernick.

Kaepernick taking a stand
for racism has cost him a job in the NFL. However, the story is not over here.
Recently, the case has taken a new twist. According to a CNN article, “Colin Kaepernick’s legal team is expected to seek
subpoenas for President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and other
campaign officials relating to the quarterback’s collusion case against the
NFL, a source familiar with the ongoing grievance process has told CNN” (Martin 2018, 1).

African
American quarterbacks have also stated that they are judged more harshly than
white quarterbacks and subjected black quarterbacks to more stereotypes. Past
research supports this theory. A study examines how white subjects “applied
stereotypical descriptions of athletes to White and Black professional
quarterbacks” (Ferrucci 2017, 51-52).  The results of the study demonstrated that
white subjects stereotyped the “other.” Yet, the subjects did apply stereotypes
to black quarterbacks, which is evident in the following passage of, “However,
the participants rated Black players to be more physically strong and more
naturally able than they rated White players. Note that the participants did
not stereotype, or other, White players, who can be considered members of their
in-group” (Ferrucci 2017, 52). This shows that white people apply
stereotype to individual they feel are not in the in-group. White quarterbacks
are often looked upon and more intelligent and better leaders than black
quarterbacks, which demonstrated racism (Ferrucci 2017).

Colin
Kaepernick was trying to shed light on several issues of racism that exist in
society.  Kaepernick has helped eradicate
racism by giving to charities. He talked to reporters after American noticed
that he was kneeling during the National Anthem. According to Sandritter (2016,
p. 1) “He spoke about injustice and the fact that he wanted to present an
uncomfortable conversation in hopes that the country could become unified on
the topic.” Some people were on his side, as they knew what it was like to experience
oppression and racism.  They identified
with his words and supported Kaepernick (Kane & Tiell, 2017).  Kaepernick was also protesting police
brutality against African Americans, such as Treyvon Martin getting shot and
killed by officer George Zimmerman and Freddie Grey getting his spine broken
for police officers while in jail.

When
Buffalo Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor was benched in favor of white
quarterback Nate Peterman, Taylor said that African American quarterbacks are
judged more harshly than white quarterbacks and are given less time to perfect
their game and improve. This would constitute as racism. As you can see, the
black economic subjugation of black athletes is something that has been done
many times in sports. Capitalism is the reason for making black athletes
oppressed and good for making money in sports, as long as these athletes do not
get ahead of white people.

I
do not agree with the way that society handles racism. Many people, mostly
white people, say that African Americans have the same opportunities as them,
but that is not always true. Many African Americans are targeted by the police
and also come from neighborhoods that are not kept up and have high crimes
rates and high levels of unemployment. This keeps minorities oppressed and
unable to be successful and live a decent life. Many times, it the system and
laws that keep African American people down, Yet, many white people do not want
to acknowledge that the problem of racism exists and is systematic of white
privilege that gives white people a higher economic status and more benefits
than minorities, such as a greater social status and an easier time getting a
solid education and jobs

One
possible solution to the problem of racism is to use one’s social work platform
to change laws. There should be stricter laws that pertain to police officers
who shoot African American individuals or people from other races. As of now,
there is no federal legislation that stated repercussions for a police officer
that shoots and murders an unarmed person.

One
social work skill that can be used to address racism is to use advocacy.
Advocating for equal rights for individuals of all races can be accomplished by
encouraging law makers to change laws that are anti-racism. One of the first
steps is to create petitions that call for racist organizations and racist
policies to change.  Removing racist
people from positions of power is another reason for a petition. One example of
this is the case of Carl Paladino (Harris 2017)
[15].

Since
many racist attitudes and beliefs stem from what children and young adults hear
and see growing up, education is where racism can be stopped. Most academic
institutions do not have a class or course that is only dedicated to racism, its
solutions, and the negative effects of racism. This is where social workers
cans step in and a start writing textbooks about racism that can be used in
high schools. Social workers can also assist in establishing in-services and
seminars on racism for students, teacher and other educational staff in
schools. When people are educated on racism, then the likelihood of racism
being eradicated in society should lessen.

Bibliography

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of African American Male College Athletes.” Journal of Sport and
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[1] Johnson, Allen. B. 2006. Privilege,
Power, and Difference . New York City : McGraw-Hill.

[2] Kane, Daniel, and Bonnie Tiell.
2017. “Application of normative ethics to explain Colin Kaepernick’s
silent protest in the NFL .” Sports Studies and Sports Psychology
1-10.

[3] Sandritter. 2017.
A Timeline of Colin Kaepernick’s National Anthem Protest and the athletes who
joined him. SB Nation.
https://www.sbnation.com/2016/9/11/12869726/colin-kaepernick-national-anthem-protest-seahawks-brandon-marshall-nfl.

[4] Cummings, William. 2017. “The
Bubble: Trump is winning his ‘war on black athletes,’ liberals say.” USA
Today . October 12. http://www.sbnation.com/.

[5] Fuller, Rhema D. 2017.
“Perception or Reality: The Relationship Between Stereotypes,
Discrimination, and the Academic Outcomes of African American Male College
Athletes.” Journal of Sport and Social Issues Vol. 41(5) 402-424.

[6] Ferrucci, Patrick. 2017. “Race
and the deep ball: applying stereotypes to NFL quarterbacks.” International
Journal of Sport Communication 41-57.

[7] Gaughan, Mark. 2018. “Well-
positioned? Lamar Jackson, the 2016 Heisman Trphy winner, NFL Draft still
having to convince teams that he’s first and foremost a quarterback. Which
franchise is willing to listen?” The Buffalo News , April 1: 1.

[8] Silva 2011. The Color
of Orange: The Condredge Holloway Story . Directed by Shaun Silva.

[9] Tittenbrun, Jacek. 2013. “RALPH
DAHRENDORF’S CONFLICT THEORY OF SOCIAL DIFFERENTIATION AND ELITE THEORY.” Innovative
Issues and Approaches in Social Sciences, Vol. 6 (3) 117-203.

[10] 2015. “Ben
Roethlisberger, quarterback, twice accused of sexual assault.” Broadly.com.
December 8.
https://broadly.vice.com/en_us/article/bmwe8w/ben-roethlisberger-quarterback-twice-accused-of-sexual-assault.

[11] Dean, Josh. 2018.
“Ray Rice In exile.” Welder Pubclications, Inc.
https://www.mensfitness.com/sports/football/ray-rice-exile.

[12] Coombs, Danielle Sarver,
and David Casillo. 2017, Vol. 41(5) . “Athletes and/or Activists: LeBron
James and Black Lives Matter.” Journal of Sports and Social Issues 425-444.

[14] McManus, Tim. 2018.
“Michael Bennett to plead not guilty if case reaches trial.” ESPN
. March 30.
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/22966999/michael-bennett-philadelphia-eagles-plead-not-guilty-case-reaches-trial.