For the first time in 20 years, I have no idea how the Jets or Giants are doing. Same as with the Raiders. I chose this season to boycott the NFL over what’s happened to Colin Kaepernick.

For those of you who are unaware, Colin Kaepernick was the quarterback for last year’s 49ers; an All-Pro QB who has played in a Super Bowl within the last five years. Frustrated with the treatment of young Black men by the police, and concerned with how that treatment was portrayed and dismissed in the media, Kaepernick used his position as the face of his team to bring attention to this issue. First, he declined to stand for the singing of the national anthem (which, in the NFL, is accompanied by the unfurling of a football field-sized flag) and used the reasoning that he couldn’t display allegiance to “a country that oppresses Black people and people of color.” Secondly, he donated hundreds of thousands of his hard-earned dollars to charities that champion social justice. His actions, specifically the first one, did not go unnoticed, and the reactions ranged from congratulations to outright offense.

At the end of the 2016-17 season, Kaepernick opted out of his contract with a 49ers team that went 2-14 despite a statistically decent season playing for a coach that wasn’t particularly fond of him or his game. He has since been unable to find a job, and some—myself included—believe that is due to league-wide collusion. As evidence I submit Exhibit A: of the six quarterbacks now playing for a New York team, Only Eli Manning had a better statistical year than Colin Kaepernick.

A week and a half ago, Donald Trump weighed in on the matter with a level of dignity that only he could render.

In response, he was denounced by the NFL on every level: players, coaches, league officials, fans, and owners—some of whom helped fund his presidential campaign. Whole teams responded by kneeling en masse for the national anthem.

Calling this matter complicated is understating things a bit, so I’d like to begin by saying I agree with Kaepernick’s original protest. Young Black men are more likely to be subject to die at the hands of cops who play judge, jury, and executioner, and deny due process of law. Of the 1,093 people killed by police in 2016, 266 were Black men—a shade under 25%--and 42 of those people were unarmed. The way police seem to approach protecting and serving the Black community, by this metric, is to shoot first and ask questions later. The sad part is that this is a truth we have long accepted; the only change is that since the proliferation of portable video recording, be it through a Camcorder 25 years ago, to a smartphone today, we have tangible proof. While not all cops are bad cops—I come from a police family, as two of my older brothers are retired NYPD—the thing that Colin Kaepernick shines a light on has merit. Also, his method of protest utilizes his First Amendment Right while maintaining a non-violent, non-disruptive posture. Kaepernick didn’t walk off his job, didn’t clog traffic, didn’t interrupt or tie up essential functions like transit, police, fire, or EMS. He took a knee.

But, while some people publicly supported him, most people in this country (including some former players) who have Twitter and an opinion let him know--in no uncertain terms--what they thought of him and his protest. Belittled constantly in print, televised, and social media, Kaepernick and the issue at hand were summarily dismissed. It had been stated that since he had been allowed by this country (?!) to prosper, to make millions of dollars based on his talents, hard work and ability, he should shut up and sit down—or stand, as the case may be—and play for the entertainment of the masses. Sports and politics—and protest—do not and should not mix.

I wholeheartedly disagree with that notion.

For decades, sports on every level has been used, subtly and overtly, to champion the cause of the downtrodden. Be it racism and injustice (Jackie Robinson, Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton, or Tommie Smith and John Carlos), gender inequality (Billie Jean King), LGBT rights (Jason Collins, Michael Sam) or worker’s rights (Curtis Flood), sports at the highest levels have historically been used as an avenue for protest, either through activism or just by showing up and performing. To protest is to demand change, and to do so peacefully is to do it without taking anyone or anything hostage.

Now, Donald Trump suggests that anyone who doesn’t stand for the flag and anthem should be yanked off the field and dismissed, and the NFL as a whole knelt for the anthem as Colin Kaepernick did. And while the sudden show of solidarity is fantastic, kneeling to protest police overreach in minority communities and kneeling to flip the bird to an infantile buffoon of a politician are two different things. And as much as telling that guy to screw off is fun, the larger and more relevant question has gone unasked.

Why is it, when a Black American of some fame and stature (such as an athlete, actor, or other celebrity) decides that the flag and anthem represent a nation that has actively and historically persecuted them, that their refusal to do the patriotic song-and-dance (which is protected by the First Amendment) is perceived as an insult to all that is good and decent?

Colin Kaepernick would love the answer to that question. He has the time, now, for a lengthy discussion on that topic, and as long has he has that time, I can’t in good conscience watch the NFL—a league that employs domestic abusers and has protected murderers, but thinks passive protest before the game is an unpardonable sin. I’m not asking you to stand or kneel. How you feel about the flag is how you feel, and I’m not here to change that. But if you are like me, and would rather not spend your cable dollars on an organization like that...

...then join my protest and change the channel.

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