Well, Lady Gaga didn’t pull the political nuclear option like many people thought she would in her Super Bowl halftime extravaganza. But Fox Sports did go there in the pre-game show, propping up San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick as if he were a modern-day Patrick Henry.
Joe Buck, the man who would later call the play-by-play of Super Bowl LI (51) said the biggest sporting event of the year is “more than just a football game. It's also a celebration of America. We'll see that in a couple of hours when country music Luke Bryan sings the national anthem. Well, during this NFL season the anthem continued to be a symbol of freedom. In particular, our sacred freedom to peacefully protest. Now, whether you agree with him or not, Colin Kaepernick's anthem protests quickly spread around the league into other sports. Then it started a national conversation about where we are as a country.”
Next, Fox queued up a short, disjointed, imbalanced video starting with anonymous NFL players speaking, without identifying the issue.
This time last year we were kind of in a state of shock.
I was frustrated, angry.
Something needed to be changed.
It's now a necessity for me to be active. We wanted to do something and that spark ignited that action.
The video never actually gets around to defining why they feel this way. But then Patrick, er uh, Kaepernick lowers the police brutality boom, saying, “This country stands for freedom, liberty, justice for all. It's not happening for all right now.”
Last summer he had said: "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."
Additional former NFL players, Jim Brown and Michael Strahan also appear in the video, seeming to speak in different directions. There is mention of Jackie Robinson, action needed in communities, bridging the gap, athletes taking stands and meeting with congressmen. Seattle Seahawks’ receiver Doug Baldwin, the son of a police officer, says law enforcement needs to change policies and he will push for them. No police officers are represented in this incoherent video that doesn’t seem to go anywhere.
But good old Joe Buck comes on again to praise the controversial quarterback: “Whether you like him or not, agree with him or not, Colin Kaepernick has done one thing -- he had started a real conversation on this topic, something that's much needed and for that, he gets a lot of credit. Up next, Bill O'Reilly's much anticipated interview with president Donald Trump. You can't escape politics.”
You really can't escape it. Someone needs to tell Kaepernick to just shut up and play.
