America is in the midst of racial inequality and police brutality cases without any proper acknowledgment. People have tried to change things, but not the right way. People have tried rioting, over and over with no results. Then out of the blue comes football season, and with it a player who is trying to make a difference, but is he approaching the situation the right way? Colin Kaepernick has vowed to make a stand against the so-called, “oppressed” nation by not standing. How ironic? Kaepernick has said that he will not stand for the National Anthem until he sees change in America.

How is this impacting him and the people around him? For one thing, the market around him has both boomed and dropped. The increasing part of his market is that ever since his first preseason game his jersey sales have skyrocketed from twentieth to first, but there is some interesting facts to be seen about his character. Kaepernick has chosen to not keep any of his profits from his jersey sales. Instead he has been donating all the money he receives back into struggling communities to try and lower crime rates and help those in need out.

His actions have had a negative impact on high team though. On the fifteenth anniversary  of 9/11, during the opening Sunday of football, Kaepernick wore a pair of socks that were depicting police officers as pigs. This, along with his kneeling during the anthem, has caused major problems for the San Francisco 49ers and their marketing.  

In Levi’s Stadium things are starting to change, and not necessarily for the best. Ticket sales are beginning to drop at the stadium. People no longer want to go and watch the 49ers play until they see Kaepernick and his teammates respecting the U.S. flag. Also in some reports the security guards of the stadium are beginning to think they may begin to boycott. This was sparked by Kaepernick wearing his pig cop socks. The felt disrespected again by his actions and may boycott the stadium, leaving it with no security.

So is this whole stunt helping or hurting? I feel that what he stands for is for a great cause, but I also feel there are other ways to express his dislike of the situation instead of not standing for our National Anthem. Yes, he is putting money back into the communities to make change, but it is going to take so much more to fully complete his dream of a fully put together America.