After five weeks of suspect quarterback play out of Blaine Gabbert, the San Francisco 49ers have announced that Colin Kaepernick will start this week against the Bills.
49ers new starting QB is Colin Kaepernick.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 11, 2016
From a pure football perspective, the news is largely irrelevant, just a struggling team trying to find a spark in its backup quarterback. But this is not just football: It’s much more than that.
Kaepernick’s decision to sit for the National Anthem during games in protest of minority treatment in America has been met with multiple responses. Those who champion Kaepernick’s cause have rallied behind him – and some have joined him – others have understood his position while choosing to remain standing. But there have been several other people in the country who do not take kindly to seeing politics and sports mesh, and others who see what Kaepernick is doing as disrespectful to our military.
I think Kaepernick will get a lot of boos on Sunday, maybe just because he’s the away quarterback in Buffalo, but he will certainly get some cheers from those who support his cause.
