The Seahawks' Doug Baldwin Came Out With A Smart And Passionate Defense Of Colin Kaepernick Not Standing For The Anthem
A lot of Seahawks fans were chirping Doug Baldwin yesterday over this tweet binge he went on about his views on the debate around Colin Kaepernick opting not to stand for the National Anthem. And while I get not wanting to see your team throwing an unnecessary distraction in the mix, I don’t know how you can read what Doug Baldwin had to say and at least appreciate him having the courage to say it and articulate it without anger but, instead, a genuine interest in trying to make people understand. Here’s his full thoughts:
I always appreciate when athletes are honest but when they really have something to say and articulate in a way that makes sense, I’m always impressed. Good for Doug Baldwin showing off that fancy Stanford brain of his.
I also thought that Bill Simmons’ podcast yesterday with Tony Kornheiser did a really good job breaking down the controversy both from a media perspective (featuring Tony explaining how PTI would have driven the story into the ground throughout the week if they weren’t on vacation) and making the point that the real issue is with Colin Kaepernick being the one to take this bold stance. If it’s a Russell Wilson or Carmelo Anthony, a relevant player who has real things to lose, the world may be more inclined to listen than to a guy on the roster bubble after losing a starting job to Blaine Gabbert of all people deciding this is the time to make his case. It doesn’t make his argument less valid or his opinions less informed (mindless cop bashing aside), but the messenger for something like this can mean a whole lot in shaping the debate. The more Doug Baldwins who now feel like they can come out and make the same point but without the acid and potential ulterior motives, the more we’re hopefully able to make something productive out of it all.