What if our black pro athletes supported Kaepernick like boyz did with Ali in 1967? “Power”

At the time the top professional African-American athletes supported Muhammad Ali's refusal to fight in Vietnam on June 4, 1967. Pictured: (front row) Bill Russell, Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, Lew Alcindor; (back row) Carl Stokes, Walter Beach, Bobby Mitchell, Sid Williams, Curtis McClinton, Willie Davis, Jim Shorter, and John Wooten. TONY TOMSIC/AP

Everybody and their Uncle’s Jacob, Jim and Stan are outraged at Colin Kaepernick for kneelin’ durin’ the National Anthem last season. He was doin’ it in protest of police brutality and the killin’ of unarmed black folks durin’ simple traffic stops across this country.  For that reason he’s still not signed to an NFL roster today. Owners and outspoken fans alike are livid because he chose to disrupt their status quo. “How dare he disrespect the flag and the military like that?” This is what most Americans are sayin’! “How dare he challenge authority and draw attention to himself and call out police brutality? How dare he?”  

Well playas….since the day this country was founded on July 4, 1776 and even before boyz ever thought of signin’ that document entitled the Declaration of Independence there have been protests. On December 16, 1773 duns known at the “Sons of Liberty” destroyed an entire shipment of tea that was loaded onto British ships docked in the Boston Harbor in defiance of the Tea Act of May 10, 1773.  That was a protest of boyz not wantin’ to be taxed without representation. That simple protest launched us into the American Revolution which resulted in the formation of the United States of America.

The word protest in and of itself signifies conflict or objection to something. That means that someone doesn’t like the status quo and that things need to change.

Less than 100 years later there was protest of the south against, what then, President Abraham Lincoln wanted to do with the abolishment of slavery. That protest eventually launched us into the American Civil War.

Less than 100 years after that there was the protest of segregation and open racism that upset the status quo again which eventually started the Civil Rights Movement.  That would later destroy the world of segregation that eventually desegregated schools in America, the American workforce, fair housing etc..

Let’s keep it real or all the way 100, whichever comes 1st! If not for protest in this country it would still be a British state of colonies. If not for protest, black folks would still be slaves in America. If not for protest, we’d still be livin’ in a segregated society legally. So therefore, protest is necessary for change even if you’re the dun that doesn’t want change because everything at your crib is cool.

What if our top black professional athletes were to support Colin Kaepernick the same way they supported Muhammad Ali in 1967 when he refused to fight in the Vietnam War. Cats like Jim Brown, Lew Alcindor now known as Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Bill Russell and Willie Davis put their careers on the line to come along side of Ali. The powers that be stripped Ali of his license to box for three years. Had it not been for a loop hole in the law and his ability to take the fight to the Supreme Court. We wouldn’t be talkin’ about Ali in the same breath today. He would have fallen into the abyss never to be heard from again like boyz are tryin’ to do to Kaepernick.

Remember Craig Hodges and Mahmoud Abdul Rauf better known as Chris Jackson? They protested in the NBA and have never bounced another ball in the league. Why? Because boyz that looked like them left them out there to dry.

Not with Ali though. All of those greatest athletes of that time got in the ride with him. Just think what could be accomplished if all of the black players in the NFL and NBA today were to simply boycott playin’ until Colin was signed to a roster. Keep in mind that the black players in both the NFL and NBA make up 70 percent of those leagues. That means that there would be no NFL or NBA until Kapernick was signed playa. There would be nothin’ to write about or talk about in sports because their would be no games. Sponsors and advertisers would be beggin’ for a solution to this foolishness ASAP. Why? Because everybody would be starvin’. You want change my brother? That’s how you demand it.

That’s the power that the black athlete has if he chooses to use it but unfortunately, boyz in this day and age are too concerned with self instead of the greater good. The owners would have to respect the opinions of the athletes if they simply pooled their power together and used it like our parents and grandparents did in the 1950’s and ’60’s.

People can only treat you the way you allow them to. When you don’t vote you have no power. When you don’t join together to fight against what is wrong you have no voice. The fingers on a hand are nothin’ when they aren’t workin’ together but when they come together to make a fist that become powerful.

In other words playa, there are too many brothers playin’ in the NFL and the NBA for Colin Kaepernick to be gettin’ treated the way he’s bein’ treated. Stop me when I start lyin’!

Playas Thesaurus: 

1) Dun: noun – the person in question, dude, guy, etc. It’s whoever I’m talkin’ about and its non-gender specific.

The G is excluded from the endings of all words because the G is near and dear to my heart because I’m from “The G” which is Gary, Indiana. So I only use the G when I’m talkin’ about “The G!”

The caption under the photo isn’t real but its real talk!