The Debate Over Kaepernick Is Over

I attended the Green Bay Packer game this past Monday night. Yes, the Pack got their asses handed to them by the lowly Detroit Lions, and the Lions won their first game at Lambeau field in something like a quarter of a century. That part sucked. But otherwise, my family and I had a blast getting drunk and watching football.

The four of us, myself, my wife, my sister and her boyfriend, were all given little American flags in observance of Veterans' Day when we entered Lambeau. Fans everywhere in the stadium got to wave those little flags around for the entire game, which they did, especially in the beginning during the controversial national anthem. Players locked arms, and fans removed hats and covered hearts. With their other hands, they waved their little flags.

My wife, ever being the social justice warrior she is, was wearing a red Kaepernick jersey. In a sea of green, gold, and the occasional blue and silver, she stood out. She knelt on the bench in front of her as the anthem was played, making a stand by not standing.

No one said anything to her.

But that's not the point. The point is what happened after the game. After the Packers lost. After the Detroit fans, scattered here and there throughout the stands, were done screaming themselves hoarse. After the Packer fans started leaving with eight minutes to go on the game clock because the Lions had just scored another touchdown, and there was simply no hope of a Packer comeback.

What happened was that the little flags, handed out to every fan, were left on the concrete floors of the stands, strewn about along with spilled beer, bratwurst wrappers, cardboard drink trays, discarded tubs of pretzel-bread cheese dip, and who knows what else. Everywhere, all over the stadium, those flags of our great nation were ruthlessly disrespected by at least half the fans.

I came in with two, the ones given to my wife and myself. I left with five. Because I had the common courtesy to pick up the three that were near me that other fans had left on the goddamned ground!

I could make an argument here about the need to sign Colin Kaepernick, but I won't. I could point out that Bret Conway is not a great talent at quarterback, but I obviously shouldn't have to. I could argue for Joe Callahan to be given a shot at starting, but there was a reason he was only on the practice squad two months ago. No, instead I will simply point out that, amidst the controversy surrounding Kaepernick being the best veteran fit for the Packers system, he used to be a political liability with the fans.

That's right, I said "used to be."

Because the controversy with Colin Kaepernick is over! I saw it die along with the Packers' chances at a postseason without Kaepernick at the helm.

The fans ended it. When they left their little flags on the concrete floors of Lambeau field like so much refuse.

No one can ever say again that players should be fired for disrespecting the flag. Not when fans were too lazy to bother picking up the discarded flags left behind by others. And who will fire those fans, I wonder? No one can ever say that Kaepernick committed an act that was anywhere even remotely close to that level of disrespect. And if Lambeau fans could do such a thing, it's a sure bet that the fans at all the other NFL stadiums, who doubtlessly were handed flags just like at Lambeau in honor of our nation's veterans, discarded them just as carelessly. More so, since Lambeau fans are famously more friendly, more courteous, and more patriotic.

Where are the outraged veterans who screamed assent with Donald Trump now? Where did their outrage go?

Whatever Kaepernick has done, Lambeau fans committed crimes a thousand times worse, and roughly 37,500 times over! The more so because it wasn't a statement in protest. It wasn't even a statement at all! It was simply dropping a flag and forgetting about it, discarding it, pretending it didn't count or wasn't even there. And being collectively blind to a flag lying in the trash on the floor is far worse a crime than openly protesting in front of one.

At least the kneeling NFL player is aware of the flag's goddamned presence!

So let's not pretend we can't sign Kaepernick already! And anyone who has a complaint about his protests can jolly well trample those complaints underfoot, along with the little flags they so carelessly stepped on while they were at Lambeau!

Oh, and by the way, nobody yelled at my wife during the entire game. And there were a few who congratulated her. One even said, "Represent!"

Damn straight she did!


Eric

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