Kaepernick's Grievance

[DrZoidberg]

He's an athlete. It's not a real job.

He an athletic performer. People willingly pay to watch him and other's like him perform.

It is entertainment. Man does not live by bread alone.

And it is most definitely a job. A very difficult job that 99.9% of people can't do.

You have no point.

Ok, fine it's a job. But what his performance provides is escapism. If he brings in politics in the realm of escapism then it's not surprising that he'll get fired. Nobody wants to be reminded of the real world when trying to escape it. It's like putting on an action movie and in the middle of it we're interrupted with a long speech about a sensitive political issue. Ie, the kind of thing we put the film on NOT to think about.

Just think about what sports fundamentally is. It's the most low brow of activities. There exists no other activity which stimulates the mind less. That's my point. Kaepernick failed to understand what his job was. When he didn't do his job as expected he got fired.

I'd argue that part of an athletes job is to be apolitical. Which is why sports supporters so often have strong opinions about it.

 

[dismal]

He's an athlete. It's not a real job.

He an athletic performer. People willingly pay to watch him and other's like him perform.

It is entertainment. Man does not live by bread alone.

And it is most definitely a job. A very difficult job that 99.9% of people can't do.

You have no point.

Ok, fine it's a job. But what his performance provides is escapism. If he brings in politics in the realm of escapism then it's not surprising that he'll get fired. Nobody wants to be reminded of the real world when trying to escape it. It's like putting on an action movie and in the middle of it we're interrupted with a long speech about a sensitive political issue. Ie, the kind of thing we put the film on NOT to think about.

Just think about what sports fundamentally is. It's the most low brow of activities. There exists no other activity which stimulates the mind less. That's my point. Kaepernick failed to understand what his job was. When he didn't do his job as expected he got fired.

I'd argue that part of an athletes job is to be apolitical. Which is why sports supporters so often have strong opinions about it.

He got fired because he combined a big contract with small performance. That was a no-brainer.

He didn't get signed by anyone else because he was at best a mediocre player and he brings a circus sideshow of distractions. He also seems to have delusions about what he's worth.

There was a story the new football league wanted to sign him and he asked for $20 million. In a league where players are making less than $200,000.

 

[untermensche]

He's an athlete. It's not a real job.

He an athletic performer. People willingly pay to watch him and other's like him perform.

It is entertainment. Man does not live by bread alone.

And it is most definitely a job. A very difficult job that 99.9% of people can't do.

You have no point.

Ok, fine it's a job. But what his performance provides is escapism. If he brings in politics in the realm of escapism then it's not surprising that he'll get fired....

They already invaded the escapism with the stupid song and all the patriotic bullshit.

 

[untermensche]

He didn't get signed by anyone else because he was at best a mediocre player and he brings a circus sideshow of distractions.

Ignorance is not an argument.

He was drafted as the 4th pick in the second round.

In his second year he took his team to the Super Bowl. And was one game away from the Super Bowl his third.

The owners thought he was so good they signed him to a $126 million contract his fourth season.

Then Harbaugh left to go to Michigan. And the new coaches didn't seem to know how to get the most out of him. He suffered injuries as well.

QB's with much worse resumes get jobs all the time.

In the 49ers third preseason game of the 2016 season, Kaepernick was noticed sitting down during the playing of "The Star-Spangled Banner" as opposed to the tradition of standing. During a post-game interview, he explained his position stating, "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", referencing a series of African-American deaths caused by law enforcement that led to the Black Lives Matter movement and adding that he would continue to protest until he feels like "[the American flag] represents what it's supposed to represent".

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

He's an athlete. It's not a real job.

He an athletic performer. People willingly pay to watch him and other's like him perform.

It is entertainment. Man does not live by bread alone.

And it is most definitely a job. A very difficult job that 99.9% of people can't do.

You have no point.

Ok, fine it's a job. But what his performance provides is escapism. If he brings in politics in the realm of escapism then it's not surprising that he'll get fired. Nobody wants to be reminded of the real world when trying to escape it. It's like putting on an action movie and in the middle of it we're interrupted with a long speech about a sensitive political issue. Ie, the kind of thing we put the film on NOT to think about.

Just think about what sports fundamentally is. It's the most low brow of activities. There exists no other activity which stimulates the mind less. That's my point. Kaepernick failed to understand what his job was. When he didn't do his job as expected he got fired.

I'd argue that part of an athletes job is to be apolitical. Which is why sports supporters so often have strong opinions about it.

You have a point but just a couple of things:
(a) some of the people in charge, i.e. owners, but not all of them, and some of the players, but not all of them actually regularly are political by engaging in hero worship and flag waving, and national anthem; (b) some of that is probably also national propaganda; (c) none of the above is covered in the contract, explicitly mentioned; (d) there is that signed contract and the closest thing in it that anyone might conceive is violated is something about being in good standing or something like that. Respectfully kneeling is not inappropriate or illegal and as far as those who are civil libertarian-minded which is how one ought to be when interpreting a contract, he and others were within their rights. The thing that is not liked about what he did is coming from authoritarians and conservatives which is sort of redundant. They want owners to be rulers over laborers and they want to see the continued hero worship, flag waving, unabated, because that is THEIR politics. So, they want Kaepernick to be political, not apolitical, they want him to be subservient to their ideas but they are not everyone...

 

[dismal]

He didn't get signed by anyone else because he was at best a mediocre player and he brings a circus sideshow of distractions.

Ignorance is not an argument.

He was drafted as the 4th pick in the second round.

In his second year he took his team to the Super Bowl. And was one game away from the Super Bowl his third.

The owners thought he was so good they signed him to a $126 million contract his fourth season.

Then Harbaugh left to go to Michigan. And the new coaches didn't seem to know how to get the most out of him. He suffered injuries as well.

QB's with much worse resumes get jobs all the time.

In the 49ers third preseason game of the 2016 season, Kaepernick was noticed sitting down during the playing of "The Star-Spangled Banner" as opposed to the tradition of standing. During a post-game interview, he explained his position stating, "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", referencing a series of African-American deaths caused by law enforcement that led to the Black Lives Matter movement and adding that he would continue to protest until he feels like "[the American flag] represents what it's supposed to represent".

Wow. Stick to babbling about anarchism not sports.

 

[untermensche]

Ignorance is not an argument.

He was drafted as the 4th pick in the second round.

In his second year he took his team to the Super Bowl. And was one game away from the Super Bowl his third.

The owners thought he was so good they signed him to a $126 million contract his fourth season.

Then Harbaugh left to go to Michigan. And the new coaches didn't seem to know how to get the most out of him. He suffered injuries as well.

QB's with much worse resumes get jobs all the time.

Wow. Stick to babbling about anarchism not sports.

You don't know shit about football.

 

[dismal]

Ignorance is not an argument.

He was drafted as the 4th pick in the second round.

In his second year he took his team to the Super Bowl. And was one game away from the Super Bowl his third.

The owners thought he was so good they signed him to a $126 million contract his fourth season.

Then Harbaugh left to go to Michigan. And the new coaches didn't seem to know how to get the most out of him. He suffered injuries as well.

QB's with much worse resumes get jobs all the time.

Wow. Stick to babbling about anarchism not sports.

You don't know shit about football.

Oooh, that really hurts from a guy who cites "He was drafted as the 4th pick in the second round" as an argument that someone is performing in the NFL.

Shit, you must think Ryan Leaf and JaMarcus Russell are even better QBS.

 

[hurtinbuckaroo]

The clueless responses sure are piling up. For the record:

1. Yes, it's a job. He does work; he gets paid. The reason why his work generates the income used to pay him is irrelevant.
2. Yes, every team in the league has the right to not hire him for just about any reason, as long as they reach their decisions independently.
3. The settlement agerement is a strong indication that Kaepernick's team had evidence that NFL owners did NOT reach their decisions independently, i.e. they colluded against him.

 

[untermensche]

You don't know shit about football.

Oooh, that really hurts from a guy who cites "He was drafted as the 4th pick in the second round" as an argument that someone is performing in the NFL.

Shit, you must think Ryan Leaf and JaMarcus Russell are even better QBS.

It says something to his perceived talent and performance in college.

Also it speaks to his performance at the combine.

It is part of the resume when looking for another job.

The fact that he led a team to the Super Bowl speaks about his abilities.

He excelled in Harbaugh's scheme but not so much in Kelly's. Not every QB is right for every scheme.

But QB's of lesser talent were hired.

Anybody who knows anything about football knows that.

 

[hurtinbuckaroo]

You don't know shit about football.

Oooh, that really hurts from a guy who cites "He was drafted as the 4th pick in the second round" as an argument that someone is performing in the NFL.

Shit, you must think Ryan Leaf and JaMarcus Russell are even better QBS.

It says something to his perceived talent and performance in college.

Also it speaks to his performance at the combine.

It is part of the resume when looking for another job.

The fact that he led a team to the Super Bowl speaks about his abilities.

He excelled in Harbaugh's scheme but not so much in Kelly's. Not every QB is right for every scheme.

But QB's of lesser talent were hired.

Anybody who knows anything about football knows that.

That would be the Chip Kelly who lasted 3 years as head coach in Philadelphia, and only one year in San Francisco, before slinking back to college where he belongs. Sure, blame the QB for the SF disaster. Then explain why the QB he traded away while running the show in Philly (Foles) came back after Kelly was fired and won the Super Bowl.

 

[untermensche]

It says something to his perceived talent and performance in college.

Also it speaks to his performance at the combine.

It is part of the resume when looking for another job.

The fact that he led a team to the Super Bowl speaks about his abilities.

He excelled in Harbaugh's scheme but not so much in Kelly's. Not every QB is right for every scheme.

But QB's of lesser talent were hired.

Anybody who knows anything about football knows that.

That would be the Chip Kelly who lasted 3 years as head coach in Philadelphia, and only one year in San Francisco, before slinking back to college where he belongs. Sure, blame the QB for the SF disaster. Then explain why the QB he traded away while running the show in Philly (Foles) came back after Kelly was fired and won the Super Bowl.

If the QB traded away comes back to win then the problem is the coach.

 

[dismal]

You don't know shit about football.

Oooh, that really hurts from a guy who cites "He was drafted as the 4th pick in the second round" as an argument that someone is performing in the NFL.

Shit, you must think Ryan Leaf and JaMarcus Russell are even better QBS.

It says something to his perceived talent and performance in college.

Also it speaks to his performance at the combine.

It is part of the resume when looking for another job.

The fact that he led a team to the Super Bowl speaks about his abilities.

He excelled in Harbaugh's scheme but not so much in Kelly's. Not every QB is right for every scheme.

But QB's of lesser talent were hired.

Anybody who knows anything about football knows that.

There was a time where he was perceived as being good.

That time ended.

 

[untermensche]

It says something to his perceived talent and performance in college.

Also it speaks to his performance at the combine.

It is part of the resume when looking for another job.

The fact that he led a team to the Super Bowl speaks about his abilities.

He excelled in Harbaugh's scheme but not so much in Kelly's. Not every QB is right for every scheme.

But QB's of lesser talent were hired.

Anybody who knows anything about football knows that.

There was a time where he was perceived as being good.

That time ended.

Geno Smith is on the San Diego roster.

Jeff Driskel is on the Cincinnati roster.

When a QB is no longer a starter they still have a place as a backup for a while.

 

[ronburgundy]

It says something to his perceived talent and performance in college.

Also it speaks to his performance at the combine.

It is part of the resume when looking for another job.

The fact that he led a team to the Super Bowl speaks about his abilities.

He excelled in Harbaugh's scheme but not so much in Kelly's. Not every QB is right for every scheme.

But QB's of lesser talent were hired.

Anybody who knows anything about football knows that.

There was a time where he was perceived as being good.

That time ended.

Not in the minds of anyone who knows anything about the sport. There was near unanimous consensus among NFL analysts that he was more talented than many of the QBs who started for teams in each of the last 3 seasons, including several 2nd and 3rd string level QBs who got their staring jobs while Kaep was on the market. And not in the minds of the NFL legal team who would never have agreed to this very damaging settlement if there was a case to be made that Kaep was clearly no longer an NFL level QB.

Now that the NFL's hush money payout shows beyond reasonable doubt that their was evidence of collusion (and likely racism) among NFL owners that they wanted to hide, you are trying to rehash the already well refuted nonsense that he simply was not good enough to start in the NFL. The objective evidence (and the subjective evaluation of nearly every respected NFL expert) makes it clear that he was a far better choice for numerous teams than the person they hired, leaving just 3 possible reasons why he was not hired:
1) Every owner of a team that brought in a new QB during that time independently decided that they cared less about winning and therefore about profit, than they did about punishing this uppity negro who dared to complain about cops murdering blacks.
2) Every owner of a team that brought in a new QB during that time independently decided that the massively increased profits that inherently come with having a better team was not worth to potential loss in profit from their racist fans who might boycott the team b/c they hired an uppity negro who dared to complain about cops murdering blacks.
3) Those owners engaged in some level of coordinated effort (possibly with other owners who didn't hire a QB but wanted to protect the brand) to ensure no one hired him and provoked further boycotts by the leagues many racist fans.

BTW, the NFL's settlement and gag order that they demanded also proves that Kaep was never offered a contract for any reasonable amount of $. Because if they had, there would be record of that which would emerge in the depositions and make it a slam dunk easy and quick defense in court in the court of public opinion. This settlement which they already spent many millions and 18 months trying to fight cost the NFL tons in both $ and brand damage and precedent of future suits. They would have to be the most incompetent organization and lawyers imaginable to have done that to themselves, unless they knew there were facts the trial would make public that would cause them even more immediate and long term damage.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Here is the official document for the grievance:
https://www.scribd.com/document/361...urce=impactradius&medium=affiliate#from_embed

What merit does it have? Personally, I think it has some merit in that it identifies behaviors of the owners/NFL.

What gaps does it have? Personally, it isn't clear to me that it adequately demonstrates owners cooperating with each other toward the goal of not hiring Kaepernick.

What things are yet to be determined? Lawyers might request some documents even if they cannot subpoena anything. What such documents may say are to be determined. Anything else?

Here are some interesting things I was unaware of:

NFL General Managers and team leaders have referred to directives from NFL owners to not let Mr. Kaepernick so much as practice with a team.

He's an athlete. It's not a real job. Why not just be grateful for the time he was allowed to play around and get paid massive amounts of money for it? I hate privileged asses. He learned the hard way that sports is pure entertainment, and people watch it in order to not get reminded of politics and the real world. It's 100% pure escapism and he ruined that for the public, and now they don't want to see him. Bu the fuck hu.

When do we get the point that he merely kneeled (which wasn't against the rules) and isn't particularly an 'in your face' protest... and the NFL was accused of conspiring to blacklist him?

Was Kaepernick good enough to play in the NFL? The 49ers thought so, as they shipped Smith elsewhere. His stats were mid-pack in the NFL, and that is while playing for a bad team with a dreadful defense. Not having Kaepernick didn't make the 49'ers any better for quite a bit.

 

[dismal]

It says something to his perceived talent and performance in college.

Also it speaks to his performance at the combine.

It is part of the resume when looking for another job.

The fact that he led a team to the Super Bowl speaks about his abilities.

He excelled in Harbaugh's scheme but not so much in Kelly's. Not every QB is right for every scheme.

But QB's of lesser talent were hired.

Anybody who knows anything about football knows that.

There was a time where he was perceived as being good.

That time ended.

Not in the minds of anyone who knows anything about the sport. There was near unanimous consensus among NFL analysts that he was more talented than many of the QBs who started for teams in each of the last 3 seasons, including several 2nd and 3rd string level QBs who got their staring jobs while Kaep was on the market. And not in the minds of the NFL legal team who would never have agreed to this very damaging settlement if there was a case to be made that Kaep was clearly no longer an NFL level QB.

Now that the NFL's hush money payout shows beyond reasonable doubt that their was evidence of collusion (and likely racism) among NFL owners that they wanted to hide, you are trying to rehash the already well refuted nonsense that he simply was not good enough to start in the NFL. The objective evidence (and the subjective evaluation of nearly every respected NFL expert) makes it clear that he was a far better choice for numerous teams than the person they hired, leaving just 3 possible reasons why he was not hired:
1) Every owner of a team that brought in a new QB during that time independently decided that they cared less about winning and therefore about profit, than they did about punishing this uppity negro who dared to complain about cops murdering blacks.
2) Every owner of a team that brought in a new QB during that time independently decided that the massively increased profits that inherently come with having a better team was not worth to potential loss in profit from their racist fans who might boycott the team b/c they hired an uppity negro who dared to complain about cops murdering blacks.
3) Those owners engaged in some level of coordinated effort (possibly with other owners who didn't hire a QB but wanted to protect the brand) to ensure no one hired him and provoked further boycotts by the leagues many racist fans.

BTW, the NFL's settlement and gag order that they demanded also proves that Kaep was never offered a contract for any reasonable amount of $. Because if they had, there would be record of that which would emerge in the depositions and make it a slam dunk easy and quick defense in court in the court of public opinion. This settlement which they already spent many millions and 18 months trying to fight cost the NFL tons in both $ and brand damage and precedent of future suits. They would have to be the most incompetent organization and lawyers imaginable to have done that to themselves, unless they knew there were facts the trial would make public that would cause them even more immediate and long term damage.

Holy fuck I don't need the opinions of politically biased sports idiots on sports.

The guy was benched for Blaine Gabbert. Twice. When you've gone lower than Blaine Gabbert there is not much lower to go.

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

Holy fuck I don't need the opinions of politically biased sports idiots on sports.

Oh. You want the Sports' Forum. That's down the hall.

 

[untermensche]

Not in the minds of anyone who knows anything about the sport. There was near unanimous consensus among NFL analysts that he was more talented than many of the QBs who started for teams in each of the last 3 seasons, including several 2nd and 3rd string level QBs who got their staring jobs while Kaep was on the market. And not in the minds of the NFL legal team who would never have agreed to this very damaging settlement if there was a case to be made that Kaep was clearly no longer an NFL level QB.

Now that the NFL's hush money payout shows beyond reasonable doubt that their was evidence of collusion (and likely racism) among NFL owners that they wanted to hide, you are trying to rehash the already well refuted nonsense that he simply was not good enough to start in the NFL. The objective evidence (and the subjective evaluation of nearly every respected NFL expert) makes it clear that he was a far better choice for numerous teams than the person they hired, leaving just 3 possible reasons why he was not hired:
1) Every owner of a team that brought in a new QB during that time independently decided that they cared less about winning and therefore about profit, than they did about punishing this uppity negro who dared to complain about cops murdering blacks.
2) Every owner of a team that brought in a new QB during that time independently decided that the massively increased profits that inherently come with having a better team was not worth to potential loss in profit from their racist fans who might boycott the team b/c they hired an uppity negro who dared to complain about cops murdering blacks.
3) Those owners engaged in some level of coordinated effort (possibly with other owners who didn't hire a QB but wanted to protect the brand) to ensure no one hired him and provoked further boycotts by the leagues many racist fans.

BTW, the NFL's settlement and gag order that they demanded also proves that Kaep was never offered a contract for any reasonable amount of $. Because if they had, there would be record of that which would emerge in the depositions and make it a slam dunk easy and quick defense in court in the court of public opinion. This settlement which they already spent many millions and 18 months trying to fight cost the NFL tons in both $ and brand damage and precedent of future suits. They would have to be the most incompetent organization and lawyers imaginable to have done that to themselves, unless they knew there were facts the trial would make public that would cause them even more immediate and long term damage.

Holy fuck I don't need the opinions of politically biased sports idiots on sports.

The guy was benched for Blaine Gabbert. Twice. When you've gone lower than Blaine Gabbert there is not much lower to go.

Benched by coaches that failed. One that got his butt kicked back to the college game.

You don't have a clue.

 

[ronburgundy]

Ok, fine it's a job. But what his performance provides is escapism. If he brings in politics in the realm of escapism then it's not surprising that he'll get fired. Nobody wants to be reminded of the real world when trying to escape it.

The anthem itself is politics. It only exists prior to every game b/c the military paid the league to engage in propaganda to boost their recruitment. Every team has someone tell every person in attendance to stand and participate in what is nothing other than a political act of nationalism. Then there is the additional fellating of the military done during every single game. Then there are actual politicians invited by owners and shown prominently on TV, and countless other aspects of politics and reality that are recognized in various ways by NFL teams.

So, bullshit. There was nothing more political or non-escapism about Kaep silently taking a knee that no one in the audience was asked to partake in. The only thing different about it was that instead of being right wing nationalism, it was an objection to criminal acts of racist violence against black people. Anyone who was already consuming the NFL and got angry and stopped watching did not get angry b/c it introduced politics or undermined escapism, but b/c they didn't like anyone complaining about blacks being murdered.

Sure, there are some fans who don't want the politics in their sports. Those fans would be just as angry about the all the pro war propaganda, yet they were still watching. What kind of a fan gets more upset about one player in a sport silently signaling racist injustice than by the entire sport constantly engaging in loud pro war propaganda and requesting that all its fans participate? It isn't a fan who doesn't want politics in their sports. It is a fan who is also a right-wing nationalist and racist.