Its a touchy subject, 'cause I never want to take it there, where it seems like it's all about race. But I feel like that's something that comes along with the territory of being a black quarterback. When you have success - 'Oh, you're a freak athlete.' Not, 'Oh, you're a good quarterback.'
Interpretation
Colin Kaepernick addresses the racial biases faced by black quarterbacks, emphasizing the impact of race on their recognition and success.
In this quote, Colin Kaepernick discusses the complexities of race and identity in the context of sports, particularly focusing on the perception of black quarterbacks. He highlights how their athletic achievements are often overshadowed by racial stereotypes, as success is frequently attributed to physical prowess rather than skill or intelligence. This reflection sheds light on the broader societal issues of race and the prejudice that persists in various domains, including sports.
In practice
This quote can be used during a panel discussion on race and sports.
A lot of them have families to feed, and I think it's a tragic situation where players aren't comfortable speaking what's on their mind or what's right because they're afraid of consequences that come along with it. That's not an ideal environment for anybody.
I think that's something that's hard for this country to address, is what the real issues are and coming to the point where we can admit that these are issues. Once we admit that, we can deal with it, we can fix them, and we can make this country and these communities a better place.
Nobody cares if you're black, white, straight, gay, Christian, Jewish, whatever it may be. When you step on that field, you're a member, in my case, the 49ers. That's your job, your occupation.
Most people don't want to change. They're comfortable and set in their ways. But in order to change, you have to be able to agitate people at times. And I think that's something that's very necessary for us to improve as a country.
I don't play for job security.
I don't want people to think you have to look a certain way or be a certain mold to be able to be a quarterback.
Should I become President...I will not risk American lives...by permitting any other nation to drag us into the wrong war at the wrong place at the wrong time through an unwise commitment that is unwise militarily, unnecessary to our security and unsupported by our allies.
Social-sector organizations have to be better managed than for-profit organizations... because they have no margin of error.
My leadership began to take flight when I allowed myself to press people to change-whether they thanked me or cursed me.
An effective leader develops the ability to correctly identify the pertinent detail or details - incidentals in a market, industry or sport that might create an incremental advantage.
If nominated by either party, I should peremptorily decline, and even if unanimously elected, I should decline to serve.
A President's hardest task is not to do what is right, but to know what is right.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.