This week Colin Kaepernick made headlines by not standing during the playing of the National Anthem. “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” Kaepernick said after the controversy exploded. “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.”

The Prairie believes in the U.S. Constitution first and for most. Therefore, Kaepernick hasn’t done anything wrong. All that he has done is exercise his right to free speech. People from all walks of life have weighed in and bashed the quarterback for excercising his freedom that is guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States. When anyone joins the military, they are swearing to uphold the Constitution of the United States. The Constitution allows us, as Americans, many great freedoms. The First Amendment guarantees a right to freedom of speech. Every veteran in the United States fought and died to give Kaepernick the freedom to do so.

Kaepernick is just using his status as a professional athlete in this country to focus attention on a very clear problem in today’s society. His protest has worked because now it’s one of the hottest topics in the country today.

This isn’t the first time that athletes have used their high-profile platform to help deliver a message. Muhammad Ali refused to join the armed forces when he was drafted into the Vietnam War. He was stripped of his title and lost most of his prime years in boxing. He never backed down from his beliefs or gave in to public pressure. He recently passed away and was honored as a great man, civil rights leader, and American.

In the 1968 Olympic Games, African-American Olympians Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised gloved fists in the air when they received their medals for the 200-meter race during the playing of the National Anthem. These acts of protest helped to shape the country that we live in today and helped to give a voice to the Civil Rights issues that plagued our country.

Will Kaepernick’s protest have an effect on what’s going on today in society? It’s hard to say, but Kaepernick should be applauded for taking a chance of losing his NFL career by having his voice heard.