Its going to be fascinating to track the next steps in social activism by big-name athletes trying to promote change from their enormous stage. Or, to simplify it, what Colin Kaepernick started isnt going to stop any time soon it just might look different.Nobody needs to look any further than the results of Tuesdays election to understandwhy. They provedKaepernicks cause wasnt some figment of his imagination, or of the teammates and fellow players who joined in his protests, or of the people who supported them.MORE: Is Trump right about Kaepernick and TV ratings? The reaction to Kaepernick himself, meanwhile, proved that those who opposed him and who felt they had him nailed on not voting for president either still had no idea what he was protestingor didnt care.Just a gue s? Didnt care.Thats Noah Spence Jersey part of the mirror Kaepernick and others have been holding up to America the last three months. Thats part of the truth serum hes served the public. When he said he was fighting overall societal oppre sion of African Americans and other people of color, thats what he was doing. There was no reason for anyone not to believe him, and there isnt any reason now.And if there was some reason to constantly, falsely, lazily, distractingly characterize it as a political protest or political activism, that reason isgone, too. If youve been spending your time since August waiting for the election results to either Kwon Alexander Red Game Jersey validate or invalidate his stance, then you wasted your time, his and everybody elses.Inventing some arbitrary criteria for Kaepernick to meet to convince youhis i sue was worthy of your concernis simply another way to avoid ever addre sing his i sues in the first place.Its not even an original one. People have been moving the goalposts on activists longbefore goalposts Game Jameis Winston Women's Jersey were invented. You like figments of imagination? "Colin Kaepernick betrays his cause if he doesn't vote"is as made up as the Easter Bunny.STEELE: How Kaepernick is America's truth serum Pulling this routine, meanwhile, reinforced another old tactic: blaming oppre sion on the oppre sed, instead of on the oppre sor. That should sound familiar to anyone who has seen the victim of a police shooting scolded for not complying.Somehow, it became, "What should he do to bring justice and equality to this country,"instead of, "What will this country do?"Its easier to blame one ballplayer than to hold 120 million voters accountable.MORE: Scenes of Kap love and hate in Buffalo Kaepernick has been crystal-clear about what his me sage was. He was just as clear back in August, at the beginning, when he was asked point-blankabout which candidate he supported or did not support: "The two presidential candidates that we currently have also represent the i sue that we have in this country right now."Slightly more bluntly, he also called both " proven liars."Voting or not voting, or having faith in the results, is a legit debate. For what its worth, so is who's actively stopping whom from voting right, North Carolina? It Buccaneers Men's Custom Elite Jersey 's a complex and complicated i sue that will never have unanimous consent.However, there is not a shred of logic in claiming that not voting somehow undermined, voided, or nullified what Kaepernick stood for. Not when he insisted, for all to hear, that who sits in the White House was not going to be the magic wand that wiped out the oppre sion he was protesting.This notion belongs in the trash basket along with the claim that he was out to disrespect the troops, insult the anthem, spit on the flag or any of the other diversionary tactics used to avoid confronting the racism and bigotry hes fighting.Anyone who dismi sed out of hand his beliefthat he was being asked to love and respect a country that did not love and respect him back what rebuttal can you give him today, after these election results?PHOTOS: Powerful images of anthem protests How the athletes use their platforms now, though, is a real challenge, Darrelle Revis Jersey since the obstacle is very real. Foreseeing the next strategy is difficult, because Kaepernicks original protest was so unexpected ...and unexpectedly effective.A lot of athletes, at least in the NBA and NFL, have pledged themselves to figuring it out.They were going to try, no matter who won Tuesday. And no matter who did or did notvote that night.
