Students reaction to Colin Kaepernick and the NFL

By Aimee Huckeba
anh154@txstate.edu

Priscilla Menchaca, 25, Exercise and Sports Science senior

1.     Do you know about the issue and what is your understanding of it?

• "Yes, and I think Colin Kaepernick is in a right point and he stands for what he believes in and, so, actually followed by what he is trying to pursue for people to believe. I don’t think it’s more- it is a race issue but he is trying to make it more than just race. It’s more about like, um, for people to be heard that like things need to change because we are supposed to be a united country."

2.     How would you describe what happened with the players kneeling during the National Anthem?

• "I feel like they were trying to make a statement and it was heard. And by like one person in the beginning doing it, nobody was following him and then they finally decided like there needs to be a change so it started being a latter effect and people started standing by it."

3.     How do you feel about the approach he took?

• "I think he did a smart thing because athletes are televised on TV every day and like they’re big part in our world right now because so many people look up to them, so he did a good thing by doing that."

4.     How do you feel about the NFL’s response?

• "I think that the NFL shouldn’t have interfered but they always have been interfering on decisions that are big and that would have an affect. I think they shouldn’t have been fining players but they fine them for everything so there was just a way for them to get money and like, not be a big deal with the NFL."

5.     How would you handle the situation?

• "I would stand by it and like I think by like a whole team standing by it, then the voices get heard. Like okay, the Cowboys, um, Jerry Jones when he took out the whole entire team and himself he went on the field and kneeled with everybody. It just made everybody who is a Cowboys fan stand by it and, like, some people who weren’t a Cowboys fan were just like, "oh its my team so now I'm gonna stand by it." So that was kind of smart to do rather than just be, like, having issues with people hating certain players and by everyone doing it, they cant just hate one person, so I would do that."

Connor Oldmixon, 18-25, Computer Science junior

1.     Do you know about the issue?

• “I do, yes.”

2.     How would you describe what happened with the players kneeling during the National Anthem?

• “Um, I mean they kneeled to raise awareness for the injustice that happens in their communities.”

3.     How do you feel about the approach he took?

• “Uh, at first I wasn’t a huge fan of it because my brother is a Marine. But the more that I heard about it and the more that I read about it, I realized that even though some people don’t agree, that he did it in the most respectful way.”

4.     How do you feel about the NFL’s response?

• “Um, I mean the response of some of the owners of not having on a team or anything like that, especially now, is a bit absurd because I mean, he’s a great player and they just don’t want to draw the controversy around him, which I think is kind of a cowardly move.”
• Aimee Huckeba: "Yeah, and it's like if you kneel or sit you have to go to the locker room and if you do it on the field you get fined."
• “I understand some of the owners doing that to kind of protect their image and I mean, that’s their beliefs. So I mean they have the right to do that if they own the team. But not everyone is going to agree with it, so."

5.     How would you handle the situation?

• “I mean as an owner, like I said it’s a bit absurd that no one has him on their team or anything like that because he's a great player and he's still young. It's not like he's a bad quarterback or anything. And as a player, um, I’d probably stand by my teammates if they were doing something like that. I mean I don't understand the things they’ve gone through, so I can't really have too much of a say in it.”