This is not a post about whether or not Colin Kaepernick did the right thing.
The reaction to Kaepernick's protest the other night has been both interesting and predictable. It's an interesting, real-time study in media framing in how the protest, the reaction and the aftermath is being covered. It's predictable in that ... well, you could write a lot of the reactions ahead of time.
What's got me fascinated, almost to the point of obsession, is thinking about what could happen next. It's a thought exercise, but play along with me:
• What happens if more black players join in?
Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report reported that he received text messages from six players on Saturday (five black, one white) and all of them supported Kaepernick. Yes, of course that's not at all representative. But work with me here: What happens if more black players join in? What if this coming week, two players sit in support of Kaepernick and his point. Then the next week, what if four do? Or opening weekend, what if black players en masse sit during the national anthem.?
What happens then?
• What happens if white players join in?
What if, instead of black players, the next player to sit during the anthem is white? And when asked, they voice 100 percent support of Kaepernick's point, that he is angry at what is happening to blacks in this country and this is his way of showing support?
Is he a hero or a villain? Is he praised for showing support or criticized for whitesplaining? Does he legitimize Kaepernick's protest or usurp it? Does the public take it more seriously, or does it become more marginalized?
What happens then?
•What if a white player joins in ... for different reasons.
This is the one that has me obsessed.
Let's say the next player who refuses to stand for the national anthem is a white player. Reporters go to interview him, thinking he's going to be in support of Kaepernick. Instead, the player says something like, "American is no longer a great nation. We have been damaged by 8 years of a horrible presidency, immigration is out of control, people cannot find jobs and are hooked on drugs because people from terrorist countries are ruining the country. I will not stand until something changes and America is made great again."
What happens then?