drafting in football
During the drafting process of the National Football League, potential draft prospects are evaluated and instructed on every detail possible to ensure that the players are equipped with a skill set that allows them to create success throughout the duration of their careers. Typically, the highest rated athletes tend to be picked ahead of all the other prospects, which means they receive the larger quantities of compensation for their desired skill-set. To many, it may seem like all struggles are over for the lucky prospects, however if they do not conform to meet the desired needs of the league, then they could find themselves struggling to find their way onto the field, or worse, struggling to find their way onto a team. The excitement created from a potential super-star athlete accomplishing his dream of making it to the NFL can be unimaginable, but NFL organizations see right through the hype and flashing lights and if they are not pleased with how you conduct yourself on a day-to-day basis they can release you from the team whenever they feel and they can slander your name the moment you exit the program. This type of interaction between players and organizations happens often, and it greatly highlights how NFL athletes are being perceived more as commodities rather than human beings.
freedom of speechPlayers across the nation in the National Football League are viewed as figures of great significance. They are loved and admired by millions of fans, which increases their likeness greatly. Many athletes in the NFL utilize their likeness to advocate for causes that they believe to be important to our society. Being a super-star athlete gives them a platform to reach a wide spectrum of audiences so that their message can be amplified and received, not only in the United States but rather internationally in almost every country. For super-star quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, his platform came and went in a very short period. Being a first-round quarterback in 2011 was a huge milestone for Colin, and in 2012 Kaepernick would find his way into the starting position for the San Francisco 49ers. In that same year of starting at quarterback, Colin leads his team to the super bowl, causing Kaepernick’s likeness to skyrocket. The following season in 2013, Colin lead his team back to the playoffs, which still increased his reputation greatly. Now that Kaepernick has reached such a significant level of stardom, his actions and words are monitored by both critics and fans across the world and consistently being on a national stage creates many restrictions on how an individual acts.
The two seasons follow Kapernick’s playoff run, Colin would continue to start, but his performance would prove to be subpar. In 2016, amid a political turmoil and with the increased activity of police brutality, Colin would find himself in a position of power to speak out against division and hate being spread across the nation. Colin decided to take a stand by kneeling during the national anthem to spread awareness for the ongoing inhumane police brutality epidemic. This outraged many fans and critics across the nation; even non-football fans felt that his kneeling antics were disgraceful to the United States of America. Even though there were many outraged individuals, Kaepernick found support from teammates and many other players involved in the NFL, as well as those involved in the public movements against police brutality [3]. Kaepernick was ridiculed greatly during the 2016 season for speaking up for what he believes in and eventually in 2017 Colin would cut his ties with his first team, hoping that his platform and skill set could land him on another NFL roster. However, this did not turn out the way Colin had hoped. He then found himself without a team and without any opportunity to rebuild the reputation that he once had. Colin Kaepernick had been blackballed from the NFL. His manager would reach out to teams and find no responses in return. The underlying agenda of the NFL did not include Colin Kaepernick because they felt his antics were not healthy for the success and growth of the NFL and that his actions would deter viewers from watching the NFL, creating negative production. Two years following the kneeling epidemic, Colin would star in a NIKE commercial that emphasizes the concept of “Standing up for what you believe, even if it means sacrificing everything.” Nike is the official brand of the NFL, which created high tensions between the respective organizations. The commercial reflected very poorly on the NFL and it displayed their mistreatment of Kaepernick. It brought to light the restriction and control the NFL uses on players and how the actions of players will not be tolerated if they do not align with the agenda and narrative the NFL desperately strives to create [2]. Today, Colin Kapernick continues his efforts to find his way back on to an NFL roster. His agent claims that he has been receiving more responses from NFL scouts and talks of joining a roster become more active in recent months. Although the NFL has previously snubbed Kaepernick of a roster spot for speaking out on his beliefs, Kaepernick continues to advocate against police brutality and he also promotes the necessity for equality and peace in our society today. In regards to his Nike ad, Kaepernick truly did sacrifice everything. He had wealth and fame, but because he felt the need to speak up for his beliefs and create awareness for a cause that was truly an epidemic in our country he was stripped of everything he had earned and was kicked to the curb like nothing. This only adds to the ideology that NFL players are perceived as pieces of property. If your property isn’t to your liking, you get rid of it, just like the NFL got rid of Colin Kaepernick for acting on his beliefs. Kaepernick’s trials and tribulations faced throughout his career can be evaluated and compared to past theories and philosophies of Isaiah Berlin that describe the types of liberty an individual can have in certain types of circumstances. Being a superstar quarterback in the NFL guarantees Kaepernick’s right to positive freedom because he can say and do as he pleases given his credentials. However, the positive liberty obtained by Kaepernick is meaningless if he also does not have the negative liberty of acting on his own beliefs without scrutiny from a higher power. In this case, the NFL infringes upon Colin’s negative liberty by censoring his speech and by denying him access to an NFL roster. This denial of negative freedom suggests that perhaps the positive freedom obtained by NFL players is not as authentic as it is perceived to be, which raises a question whether or not NFL players have any freedom at all when it comes to their career in the National Football League [1]. |
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citations
Written text:
[1] Berlin, Isaiah, Henry Hardy, and Roger Hausheer. The Proper Study of Mankind: an Anthology of Essays. London: Vintage classic, 2013.
[2] Creswell, Julie, and Kevin Draper. “Colin Kaepernick 'Dream Crazy' Ad Wins Nike an Emmy.” The New York Times. The New York Times, September 16, 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/16/sports/football/colin-kaepernick-nike-emmy.html.
[3] Peter, Josh. “Colin Kaepernick Inspires a Movement with His Absence.” USA Today. Gannett Satellite Information Network, September 26, 2017. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2017/09/25/colin-kaepernick-inspires-movement-his-absence/700808001/.
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[1] Berlin, Isaiah, Henry Hardy, and Roger Hausheer. The Proper Study of Mankind: an Anthology of Essays. London: Vintage classic, 2013.
[2] Creswell, Julie, and Kevin Draper. “Colin Kaepernick 'Dream Crazy' Ad Wins Nike an Emmy.” The New York Times. The New York Times, September 16, 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/16/sports/football/colin-kaepernick-nike-emmy.html.
[3] Peter, Josh. “Colin Kaepernick Inspires a Movement with His Absence.” USA Today. Gannett Satellite Information Network, September 26, 2017. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2017/09/25/colin-kaepernick-inspires-movement-his-absence/700808001/.
Images: