





For the record, I support Kaepernick 1,000 percent, which is probably not shocking since I am a (relatively) young African-American male. Not only does he have the freedom to express himself, which is exactly what my sister fought to preserve. But also because I feel his frustration. My existence includes the same dark cloud Kaepernick clearly wants dissipated.

Every time I leave my house lately, my wife is sure to tell me she loves me and implores me to be careful. Eventually, I asked why she keeps telling me to be careful. She knows how I get down. Why was she suddenly acting like I’m reckless or something? Her reply, “I’m nervous about the police. I worry something will happen to you.”

Hit me like a wrecking ball. I usually leave the house without giving my safety a second thought. Mostly because the alternative — worry, fear — is crippling and unhealthy. But even if I am careful. Even if I can block out how my presence might prompt a fear that produces the end of my life. Even if I am not in actual danger. I am not unaffected.

I am not a police officer nor a soldier. I’m a sports journalist. Yet current events has my wife worried I might get killed when I leave the house.

What I would give to ease my wife’s anguish. What I would give to ensure the young black men I work with, whom I care for dearly, aren’t fatally penalized for a combination of melanin and misdemeanor.

Absolutely, I support Kaepernick. I respect his passion. I appreciate his defiance of the accepted standards that weigh on our hearts. I admire his courage to volunteer to be a punching bag in this judgmental social media age. But there is an issue greater than who agrees with Kaepernick and who doesn’t.

Reading and listening to people talk about Kaepernick has made me want to dissect those dissecting Kaepenick’s message. The faux rage is so unbearable.

What are you doing to help somebody else? Before you get on your high horse and examine someone else, how are you helping?

My ears don’t hear the hot takes from the sidelines when it comes to issues concerning African-Americans. People are battling for equality, for safety, for opportunity, for peace. If all you do is comment on how they do it, keep those. Those on the field learn to block out hecklers in the audience.

What are you doing? For that matter, what am I doing?

It doesn’t have to be for black people, either. What are you doing for anybody? The truth is most people aren’t doing anything, and certainly not enough. Yet many have all the answers for what others should be doing and how they should do it.

We can evaluate whether Kaepernick’s stance was effective, whether he has the boots-on-the-ground work to support his vocal stance. We can discuss the context surrounding his choice, including his wealth. But it’s fruitless if the debaters aren’t on the field, any field.

Blanket prediction: most people who have something to say about Kaepernick aren’t on the field.

In June, the Bureau of Labor and Statistics released its report about how Americans spend their time. On average, 5.21 of our hours are spent on leisure and sports. Guess how much we spend on volunteering? A whopping .15 hours, which is fewer than we spend on the phone and sending emails (.16).

According to Giving USA, who annually estimate how charitable Americans are, 2015 was the second year in a row this country set a record for giving. Up to over $373 billion — or a whopping 2.1 percent of the GDP. That includes religious tithing.

Meanwhile, in the same year, we spent $437 billion on cars and another nearly $300 billion on consumer electronics. And nobody even knows how much we spend on sports gambling. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver seems to think illegal sports betting is in the $400 billion range.

Most of Americans’ lives are about indulging. We work hard so we have the means to indulge. Yet we can sound so righteous in water-cooler discussions and Twitter debates. If as much effort was put into standing up for others as is put into critiquing others’ stances, the numbers would be drastically different.

So, what organizations of service are you invested in? What do you sacrifice for? What group of people are better off because of your contribution? This is only a question you can answer. Kaepernick has his answer.

The fact is, a few are out there laboring hard, begging for support and involvement, for people to endure this sacrifice with them. They are tired, exhausting their financial and emotional resources, and could use some real help. Not faux rage.

There is no shortage of causes. A diversity of ways exist to do something. So what are you doing?

Kaepernick’s actions left a wake of people who were so offended on behalf of service men and women, whom he allegedly disrespected. What are you doing for those veterans?

Because I bet the nearly 39,000 vets who are homeless on a given night, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, would tell you to keep your stoic national anthem pose. By the way, 45 percent of those homeless veterans are African-American or Hispanic, disproportionate compared to their representation. Your symbolic gesture isn’t helping the 5.6 percent of veterans who served on active duty at some point since 2001 but can’t find a job now.

Kaepernick used his platform to stand up for a cause, knowing it would invite wrath. That dialogue should include examination of how he went about it and the effectiveness of his choice. It should also include why he felt it was necessary and what prompted him to do it.

Entry into this conversation, though, requires answering the question: what are you doing? Before chiming in on Kaepernick’s protest, ask yourself what are you doing to help the cause for which he is fighting.

Let’s make this even easier for you: before chiming in on Kaepernick’s protest, ask yourself what are you doing to help any cause?

Because if you are just screaming from the stands, the people on the field don’t hear what you’ve got to say.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) gestures to the crowd to be quiet as he takes the field against the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth quarter of their NFL game at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, Nov. 8, 2015. San Francisco defeated Atlanta 17-16. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group

Marcus Thompson