I-ZNetwork ixhaswa kuphela ngokuphana kwabafundi bayo.
NikelaSizwile izinkulumo ezithize zabanikazi nabaphathi be-NFL zokuthi kungani i-quarterback yamahhala u-Colin Kaepernick ehlala engasebenzi. “Akazinikele ngamaphesenti ayi-100.” “Ukhathazeke kakhulu ngezishoshovu.” “Uyisiphazamiso.” “Uzosayina neqembu kuphela uma eqala.” “Ufuna imali eningi kakhulu.” Ngisho, “Ngikhathazekile ngesimo sakhe manje njengoba esengumuntu ongadli imifino” (Abadlali be-NFL bangempela, uma ungakaze uzwe, baxhuma amazinyo abo nge-steak gristle futhi baphuze ama-testosterone anyakazayo aphuma emabholeni enkunzi.)
Ama-foot-massager abo kwabezindaba-ikakhulukazi iningi leqembu ePeter King's UMsombuluko Morning Quarterback page at Ezemidlalo Illustrated - baphinde ngokusemthethweni lezi ziqinisekiso ngokujwayelekile kwe-metronomic.
Nokho njengoba ngayinye yalezi zimangalo iye yachithwa yizintatheli empeleni zixhumana no-Kaepernick nabantu bakhe, zonke ziyaqhubeka nokuphindwaphindwa. Ngamanye amazwi, okwenzekayo kuwumjikelezo wokungahloniphi ulwazi, olwenziwa ngamalungu abezindaba angase agqoke uphawu lwe-NFL oludwetshwe emihlane emincane.
Ngikhulumile noKaepernick, futhi ngingasho ukuthi ufuna ukudlala. Uziqeqesha izinsuku eziyisithupha ngesonto, futhi akabambeleli ngemali. Umane ufuna isimemo sekhempu. Njengoba abadlali abasemuva abancane beqhubeka nokusayinwa, isimo sakhe se-pariah sesiphenduke umbukwane ngaphandle kwesibonelo. Lokhu kuthathwe ngokuphelele ku-a kancane ucwaningo kusuka Umbiko weBleachernguMike Freeman, owabhala ku-Twitter, "Ama-quarterbacks angu-144 aphumelele ama-200 noma ngaphezulu ngonyaka lapho beba neminyaka engu-29. Abangu-143 babesohlwini lwe-NFL lapho beba neminyaka engu-30. U-Kaepernick uyena yedwa ongakwazanga."
Isiphephelo sokugcina salezo zintatheli eziyingxenye yalo mkhankaso we-disinformation, njenge lesi siphepho se-Twitter esinamahloni nesihlekwa kakhulu esivela Ezemidlalo Illustratedngu-Andy Benoit, ukuthi “Akalungile neze. Funda ikhasethi!” Omunye Sports Illustrated UMsombuluko Intatheli yeMorning Quarterback, u-Albert Breer, ushaye into ecokeme ngokuthi “Izinga lokudlala liyisizathu esingu-1 sokuthi u-Colin Kaepernick[a]ngasebenzi.” (Uma la magama ejwayele, uBenoit wayengumbhali webhola owasho lokho ezemidlalo zabesifazane bekungafanele zibukwe, kanye no-Albert Breer ungumlandeli we-Red Sox owakhala ngenyanga edlule ekholelwa ukuthi u-Baltimore Oriole Adam Jones wayeqamba amanga ngokuthi ubizwa ngo-“n-er” e-Fenway Park ethandwayo ka-Breer.)
Ngike ngaxoxisana nabadlali bebhola abaningi “abafunde ikhasethi,” futhi basho okuhlukile. Umbiko weBleacherInhloli eholayo u-Doug Farrar uthe kimi, “Njengomuntu omhlaziyile emuva ngesikhathi sakhe e-Nevada, ngingakutshela ukuthi u-Colin Kaepernick usengowe-NFL—okungenani njengesipele sezinga eliphezulu, kodwa ngaphezu kwalokho. ngokweqiniso njengesiqalo, cishe phakathi nama-20s aphakathi ukuya phansi ngokususelwe ekulinganeni kwesikimu. Cha, u-Kaepernick akadlali ngaso sonke isikhathi ephaketheni ngendlela efanele, kodwa indaba emayelana naye njengenhlekelele ephaketheni iyikhanadi… Ngizokusho lokhu ngokuqiniseka—uColin Kaepernick usengaqala ku-NFL, futhi iqiniso lokuthi akekho eqenjini ngenxa yezizathu zebhola kukodwa kwehlisa ukuthatheka.”
Njengemibono yokunqwabelana kwesimo sakhe se-pariah, okwakamuva mhlawumbe ukugebenga kakhulu. Umqeqeshi we-Seahawk, uPete Carroll, uma ukwazi ukuzungeza lokhu, uhlangane no-Kaepernick wathi ubemuhle kakhulu ukuthi bangasayina. Carroll wathi, “Uyisiqalo kule ligi. Sinaye oqalayo kodwa uyisiqalo kule ligi.”
Umqondo walesi sitatimende, kwiligi lapho ama-quarterbacks ehla ngemidlalo embalwa noma ngaphezulu ngokujwayelekile, akuwona neze umqondo. Okuphakama ngokulinganayo ukuthi obani abasayine ama-Seahawks ukuze abe isipele sabo esisha: othile ogama lakhe lingu-Austin Davis onamaphasi angu-13 okuthinta phansi kanye nama-interceptions angu-12 futhi akazange adlale ngesizini edlule. (Ngokuphambene, u-Kaepernick unamaphasi angu-72 e-TD kanye nokukhetha okungu-30 futhi wathatha iqembu waya ku-Super Bowl.) Asingakhethi u-Davis. Owake waba nguJet waseNew York uRyan Fitzpatrick wasayinwa njengesipele yiTampa Bay. Emdlalweni owodwa ngesizini edlule, uFitzpatrick waba nokunqamuka okuningi—okuyisithupha—kunokuba uKaepernick abenakho isizini yonke: ezine. Uhlu lwama-quarterback amabi anemisebenzi lude, futhi ngamunye ushaya ngempama emsebenzini ohlaba umxhwele ka-Kaepernick, isithunzi sakhe esihle segumbi lokushintshela kanye nomqondo wokuthi iligi inoma yiluphi uhlobo lwe-meritocracy.
Iqiniso libi njengesono. I-NFL inqabela uColin Kaepernick ukuqashwa hhayi ngoba “emuhle ngokwanele” kodwa ngoba evalelwe ngaphandle ngecala lokusebenzisa inkundla yakhe ukubhikishela ukubulawa kwezingane ezimnyama ngamaphoyisa. Lokhu kwenza abashayisibhakela bakasilika balolu phiko abagijima kwesokudla bahlangane.
Abanikazi be-NFL abazenzi abadlali abashaya abesifazane noma ababhekene nezinsolo zokubulala. Njengoba kunyatheliswe ngokusemthethweni futhi ku-tweet ngaphandle kokuphawula ngu Ezemidlalo IllustratednguPeter King, Umnikazi we-New York Giants uJohn Mara uthe uthole "izincwadi" (izincwadi okungekho muntu ku-Sports Illustrated ozibonile) ezibonisa ukuthi ukusabela kwabalandeli kwenza ukusayina u-Kaepernick kungenzeki. Ukusho lokhu ngemuva konyaka esayinise umgadli wakhe uJosh Brown inkontileka yeminyaka eminingi naphezu ebona imibiko enemininingwane nesabekayo ngendlela uBrown ashaya ngayo umkakhe, kodwa ukuguqa kuka-Kaepernick phakathi nengoma kwakuyibhuloho elikude kakhulu.
Isimo sika-Kaepernick se-pariah simayelana nokuthumela isibhamu kulowo nalowo msubathi wezepolitiki—ikakhulukazi abasubathi abansundu—ukuze baphumelele umugqa. Abanikazi baphinde bathumele umlayezo—njenganini bazama “ukuthonya” ucwaningo emiphumeleni yokulimala kwengqondo emdlalweni—ukuthi izimpilo zabadlali azinandaba neNational Football League.
Imfihlakalo enkulu ukuthi ingabe okwenzekayo “kuyi-blackball” yesikole sakudala noma uma lokhu kuwumkhankaso oqaphelayo nohlanganisiwe. Owayengumdlali we-NFL u-Eric Davis kushiwo ngokuqinile ukuthi ucabange ukuthi i-NFL ixhumane nabakwaSeahawks futhi yabatshela ukuthi bangasayini u-Kaepernick. Uma lokhu kubonakala kuyiqiniso, asisekho emkhakheni we-blackballing. Sikhuluma ngokuhlanganyela. Lokho kungasho amacala. Hhayi nje amacala ajwayelekile, kodwa amacala ayisishiyagalolunye. I-Major League baseball kwadingeka ikhokhe amaRandi ayizigidi ezingu-280 ngo-1990, lapho itholakala inecala lokusebenzisana, futhi noma nini lapho usebenzelana nemakethe evaliwe yamaqembu ezemidlalo akhokhelwayo, nezinhlinzeko zawo eziningi zokungathembeki, izinhlawulo zokusebenzisana zingabiza imali eshisiwe.
Kodwa angicabangi ukuthi uColin Kaepernick uzohamba umzila wamacala. Okungenani hhayi manje. Uyawuthanda lo mdlalo futhi ufuna nokudlala. Mibili kuphela imibuzo esele: Ngabe uzosayinwa yiqembu uma umdlali we-quarterback ehla ekulimaleni, futhi ingabe igama lakhe, kuze kube yilapho ephuma ohlwini, lizofana nokuthuliswa komsubathi wezepolitiki?
Uma umdlali we-NFL efuna ukukhuluma ngemva kokubulawa kwamaphoyisa kwengane engahlomile njengoTamir Rice noma ngemva kokunye ukubulawa ngokucwasa ngokwebala, ingabe abadlali beqembu nama-ejenti bazomtshela ukuthi athule ngoba esaba ukuthi “uzoba “Kaepernicked”? Angiyazi impendulo yombuzo wokuqala, kodwa ngizizwa ngizethemba kakhulu ngalo wesibili. UColin Kaepernick uzokhunjulwa njengogqozi. Izintatheli ezimjikijele ngodoti zizokhumbuleka kuphela njengoba ikhulunyaka lama-21 iphindelela yohlobo lokucwasa abasubathi abamnyama ababekhuluma ngokukhululeka okuhlale kufanele babhekane nakho.
UDave Zirin ungumhleli wezemidlalo weThe Nation.