This week, we saw Colin Kaepernick, QB of the San Francisco 49ers, choose not to stand during the national anthem. There have been a lot of HOT TAKES (read: shoot-from-the-hip opinions... this is the best example of a scattershot, incoherent HOT TAKE on the subject) from people about him. I originally planned to write a takedown of the dumb opinions I've seen and heard, but I've decided those hot takes (like a Ben Carson quote that I've seen on Facebook that drew some of my ire) aren't worth my time. If those opinions were so poorly thought out that they didn't understand the implications of what they're saying, then they don't deserve taking the time to rip them apart.
Instead, I want to point out three great, nuanced views I've heard/read about the subject, each of which I largely agree with.
First, there's Sportscenter anchor Stan Verrett, who has a unique history: His father fought in WWII, but felt plenty of racial discrimination upon his return. His minute-long speech was quite powerful. I thought his view was the best I've read/seen.
Then there was The Big Lead's Kyle Koster, which is less about the merits of Kaepernick's arguments and more about how bold a decision it is for an athlete to do what he did.
Finally, there's this army veteran, who disagreed with Kaepernick's means while simultaneously understanding his intention. I find myself starting to disagree with him more, but his use of clear logic made me find this to be a worthy read.
On a personal note, I see a few other points that I think should be made.
First, just because the flag means something to you doesn't mean it can't mean something different to someone else. Many of the people who are angry at Kaepernick are angry because they feel he is demeaning the military. He made very clear in his comments that he loves the military and means no disrespect to them, and that his actions were not in any way directed at them. (Which doesn't necessarily mean they can't be interpreted that way, but knowing his reasoning and explanation should mean something, right?) Just because flag/anthem means military to you doesn't mean it has to for everyone. Sports Illustrated called this projecting what the flag means to you upon Colin Kaepernick.
Second, we can't just ignore things/people anymore. Everything has to be analyzed, and reacted to, and reactions to those reactions. Colin Kaepernick didn't make some big action — rather, it was his inaction that prompted the controversy. We could have, as a society, just said there are other issues that take bigger prominence and ignored it. I miss just ignoring people.
There are some that say Colin Kaepernick may lose his job over this. That has yet to be determined, but let me note right here that he's not losing his job because of this issue. He's lost his job because he's been playing poorly over the last few years. His on-the-field play has dropped, and that's why he may not be the starting QB.
Election Update
The race is closer than it was, and I think it's because Trump did a good job not saying anything too out of line. The polls that have come out do not include his immigration speech last night, which was the first out-of-line speech I've seen from him in a few weeks. GOP Latinos have started officially dropping their support of him after that speech, and I wonder how much (or if) that will affect the polls.
Presidential
For now, though, he's narrowed the gap. Although I switched Missouri to toss-up last week, if Trump gets another week of the polls he's had recently, I'll switch it back to red. South Carolina continues to puzzle me. One poll had Trump up by 9 percent. Two other polls had the race tied. It feels that race is closer than pundits believe, but it still leans red right now. I'm really close to turning Florida blue instead of toss-up, but I can't do it quite yet. Ohio and Arizona are basically inverses: Clinton has led in nearly every poll of Ohio, but it's close, with Trump doing the same in Arizona. No changes yet. Toss-up states: Ohio, Arizona, Nevada, Iowa, Georgia, Missouri, Florida and North Carolina. States close to moving categories: Missouri, South Carolina, Florida, Ohio and Arizona.
Senate
The polls and pundits I read have generally given the edge to Maggie Hassan in New Hampshire over incumbent GOP Sen. Kelly Ayotte. Three polls show her with a lead. Polls indicate a slight lead for Katie McGinty in Pennsylvania against incumbent GOP senator Pat Toomey, as well as for incumbent N.C. GOP senator Richard Burr. N.H. leaning blue (+1 Dems). N.C. leaning red. Pa. leaning blue (+1 Dems). No clue: Nevada. Current outlook: Democrats gain the Senate majority (with a Clinton win, of course) with +5 seats.
Summary Judgments
Do you like photos? Do you like nature? Then take a look at the finalists for the best nature photos of the year. They're incredible. • • • NFL networks have been hiring former referees to analyze tough ref calls, particularly replay reviews. Fox's Mike Pereira is great at this. CBS recently let go of their referee analyst, Mike Carey. They claimed it was because us viewers didn't give him enough time, but whenever he came on last year, I instantly muted him. Yes, the fans didn't like him, but that's because he didn't seem to understand how to referee or which rules applied. He was not the expert CBS claimed him to be. • • • I've been running more lately. Today I ran my first 2-mile run since the 5K race back in June. I came home and told Alyson, "I just ran two miles. I did it, but I feel terrible now." She said, "You should be proud. I sat in bed while you were gone." Guess I shouldn't expect her to go running with me any time soon, eh? • • • Evie has a new habit. When her nose is itchy, or even has the slightest of snot, she stops anything she is doing and says, "Boogers." That is Mom/Dad's signal to get a tissue, at which point she'll go play again. Debilitated by boogers. It's a hard life being 2.
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