Musical celebrities like Common, Cardi B and Rihanna have a made a point of showing public support for former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. He’s been out of the NFL since 2017, following his protests of racial injustice by taking a knee during the national anthem. On Super Bowl Sunday, thousands of people declared support for the football namesake, using the hashtag #ImWithKap and calling for a boycott of the championship game.
Kal Alston is a professor at Syracuse University’s School of Education, whose research focus is on the intersections of popular culture/media with American experiences of race, class and gender.
Alston says:
“I did not watch Super Bowl LIII, but my Twitter timeline kept me up to speed. Most mentions I saw were by people not watching the game. They were #WithKap and have the same reasons I do for withholding any NFL support they may have once had – the NFL’s terrible record on domestic violence and lifetime impact of concussions. And the owners’ disgraceful response to Colin Kaepernick’s protest of state violence against black bodies.
“The NFL is big business, and it was still able to charge $5.3 million for 30 seconds of ad time in the game this year. So despite the absence of Cardi B and other Atlanta-based artists, the 10-year low in viewership, and the opting out of an entire class of people who want more accountability from the league – I don’t know that core fans are going to break the habit, except for team loyalty.
“I am not certain that most of them really know what Kaepernick is protesting as marked by the #hashtag. Hint: It is not the national anthem. Maybe in a year when the spectacle is not on the gridiron but in the nation’s capital, we can begin to speak about that more clearly.”
To request interviews or get more information:
Daryl Lovell
Media Relations Manager
Division of Marketing and Communications
T 315.443.1184 M 315.380.0206
dalovell@syr.edu | @DarylLovell
Syracuse University
In a move that’s turning heads both in Japan and abroad, the Japanese government is reportedly cracking down on so-called “shiny” names, unconventional names often inspired by pop culture references like “Pikachu” or “Nike” given to newborns. While some see…
The smoke from more than 100 Canadian wildfires is reaching many regions within the U.S., including as far south as Georgia. Air quality is deteriorating in the Midwest, Great Lakes and Northeast, prompting health advisories in many cities. In Canada,…
If you’re a reporter covering the U.S. Department of Defense’s acceptance of a luxury jet from Qatar, Alex Wagner, adjunct professor at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, is available for interviews. Please see his comments below….
As the Roman Catholic Church begins a new chapter under Pope Leo XIV, historians and scholars are helping the public interpret the significance of this moment. Among them is Margaret Susan Thompson, professor of history in the Maxwell School of…
President Trump recently signed an executive order focusing on educational opportunities surrounding artificial intelligence. Among other things, it establishes a task force to promote AI-related education and tools in the classroom. That is a major area of focus for Dr….
If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.
