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After he reached the Super Bowl, Colin Kaepernick’s racial justice protests helped expose US views toward sports activism
Betina Cutaia Wilkinson, Wake Forest University
Back in 2012, quarterback Colin Kaepernick was one of the NFL’s most popular stars. He led the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl and was just a few plays away from winning the title and lifting the Lombardi Trophy.
But America’s focus on Kaepernick’s athletic success waned in 2016. That’s when he began to kneel before games during the playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner” to protest the deaths of young Black men at the hands of white police officers.
They included Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, two unarmed Black men killed by police in the summer of 2016.
“To me, this is bigger than football, and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way,” Kaepernick said in The Guardian newspaper. “There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”
Kaepernick’s activism, coinciding with the reemergence of the Black Lives Matter movement, received varied responses.
Some NFL players, like Kaepernick’s then-teammate Eric Reid, imitated Kaepernick’s actions, generating a wave of anti-racist activism – not just in football but in other sports, too, like women’s basketball. Others, including several NFL executives, responded with vitriol and hate.
A recent study I conducted with colleagues Lisa Kiang and Elizabeth Seagroves examines American attitudes toward sports activism, providing insight into the stark responses to Kaepernick’s advocacy and those of other athletes.
Making sense of the varied responses
We surveyed 207 college students and 33 residents in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where I teach, to examine their views on racial justice activism among professional athletes.
We found there were three general perspectives.
One group supported the sports activism and tied it to changing the status quo. People in this group back athletes’ ability to serve as activists and role models, and they hope the protests generate meaningful sociopolitical change.
“I thought it was very necessary and good,” said one participant in the study, referring to athletes’ activism. “I think that if they can use their platform for something good, they should.”
When we asked about Kaepernick’s activism in 2016, these participants lauded him for his courage.
They felt Kaepernick’s protests, along with the Black Lives Matter movement, helped raise awareness of racial injustices in the United States.
Participants reject racial justice advocacy
Other participants in our study expressed support for athletes’ right to protest, but they rejected their racial justice advocacy.
They said athletes have the freedom to say what they think. And they tied the protests to the United States’ commitment to freedom of speech. But they disapproved of kneeling during the playing of the national anthem, labeling it as disrespectful.
“I think most of it is good. If you have a platform, you should use it,” one participant told us. “However, when misinformation is spread, it becomes bad.”
Several participants felt the conflation of the national anthem with protesting racial injustices was misleading and wrong, and this participant considered Kaepernick’s protest “misinformation.”
Kaepernick’s activism elicited similarly mixed feelings at the time. A majority of the public viewed Kaepernick’s refusal to stand as unpatriotic. Most, however, also supported his right to free speech.
In May 2018, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell barred athletes from protesting on the sidelines during the national anthem, but he gave them the option to remain in the locker room during the playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner” if they preferred. The move came after players had protested racial inequality and police brutality for two seasons.
“We want people to be respectful of the national anthem,” Goodell said, according to ESPN. “We want people to stand – that’s all personnel – and make sure they treat this moment in a respectful fashion. That’s something we think we owe. But we were also very sensitive to give players choices.”
In June 2020, in the wake of George Floyd’s death and years into Kaepernick’s activism, Goodell apologized to players and reversed the policy, saying, “We were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier.”
But team protests varied throughout the league.
Some teams such as the Green Bay Packers and Jacksonville Jaguars, at least on one occasion, remained in their locker rooms during the playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Some teams acted uniformly with the exception of one or two players. Dallas Cowboys player Dontari Poe was the only person on his team to kneel during the playing of the national anthem.
The fact that not all players protested, and that teams had distinct approaches to protesting, is not surprising given the public’s varied responses to athlete activism.
Complete disapproval
A third group of participants in our study disapproved of sports activism entirely. And these participants often accompanied their criticism by saying that athletes strayed from their role as entertainers.
“I don’t think it’s good because it’s giving people a reason not to like a professional athlete when their job is to play a sport. They are not politicians and haven’t been able to prove they can make a change,” said one participant.
For example, when responding to WNBA player Skylar Diggins-Smith’s call for the imprisonment of the police officers in Louisville, Kentucky, involved in the 2020 shooting death of Breonna Taylor during a nighttime apartment raid, one participant said: “It’s not for the average citizen to call for police officers to be investigated. It’s just not OK for a professional athlete to push their agenda like that.”
Our study, much like other studies, found that people who are white, older and politically conservative are more opposed to racial justice activism in sports than their counterparts.
What does this mean?
As seen in our study, U.S. views toward sports protests are tied to the role people believe athletes should play in society.
For some, athletes can and should be role models; that includes by raising awareness of racial injustices. For others, athletes should only express their perspectives under certain conditions.
And yet other Americans believe athletes are performers whose only role should be to entertain.
Still, there’s no doubt Kaepernick’s activism changed the playing field, even if his NFL career suffered. After the 2016 season, he was never picked up by another team.
Kaepernick’s activism inspired people to attend protests and donate to political causes.
The NAACP has asked college athletes to avoid attending schools that are dismantling their diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, initiatives.
Coach Steve Kerr and All- Star Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors regularly voice their political views and draw attention to injustices.
Several sports associations – the NFL, NBA, WNBA and NWSL – have implemented social justice initiatives and councils that strive to mobilize voters and educate the electorate on political issues.
Colin Kaepernick’s activism may have ended his Super Bowl dreams, but his legacy extends far beyond the game of football.
Betina Cutaia Wilkinson, Associate Professor & Associate Chair of Political Science, Wake Forest University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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News
Breaking: Chuck Norris Dies at 86
Chuck Norris Dies at 86: Chuck Norris, legendary martial artist and star of Walker, Texas Ranger, has died at age 86 following a reported medical emergency.
Last Updated on March 20, 2026 by Daily News Staff
Legendary martial artist and actor Chuck Norris has died at the age of 86, according to statements released by his family on Friday.
Norris reportedly passed away peacefully while surrounded by loved ones. The news comes shortly after reports surfaced that he had been hospitalized in Hawaii following a medical emergency. Details regarding the cause of death have not yet been publicly disclosed.
Best known for his role in the long-running television series Walker, Texas Ranger, Norris became a global icon through his martial arts expertise and action film career. His influence extended beyond Hollywood, shaping pop culture and inspiring generations of fans worldwide.
Over a career spanning decades, Norris starred in numerous action films and television projects, building a reputation as one of the most recognizable figures in the genre.
This is a developing story. STM Daily News will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available.
Related Coverage & Sources
People: Chuck Norris Dies at 86
TMZ: Chuck Norris Hospitalized After Medical Emergency
Euronews: Reports on Chuck Norris Medical Emergency
WLIX: Family Confirms Death of Chuck Norris
Note: This is a developing story. Source details and confirmations may be updated as more information becomes available.
Note: This is a developing story. Source details and confirmations may be updated as more information becomes available.
STM Daily News delivers timely breaking news coverage that keeps readers informed on the stories shaping their communities and the wider world. From local developments and national headlines to business, technology, entertainment, and public interest reporting, STM Daily News provides fast, accessible coverage with a clear focus on relevance, accuracy, and impact.
Live Updates
March 20, 2026 – 7:00 AM (PT): Initial reports confirm the death of Chuck Norris at age 86, according to family statements.
Earlier: Reports indicated Norris had been hospitalized in Hawaii following a medical emergency. Additional details are still emerging.
This live blog will be updated as new information becomes available.
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unknown
How extraterrestrial tales of aliens gain traction
The narrative explores humanity’s intrigue with extraterrestrial entities, juxtaposing evolutionary processes with claims of alien interventions, ultimately emphasizing the need for scientific evidence over fantastical stories. Aliens!
Last Updated on March 18, 2026 by Daily News Staff
Ester Lázaro Lázaro, Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC)
One night, upon returning to the cave that his tribe calls home, the monkey-humanoid Moon-Watcher finds a strange crystal object, a kind of monolith that fascinates him at first, but then quickly loses his interest when he discovers that it is not edible. Soon after, the true purpose of the monolith is revealed to be none other than penetrating the minds of our ancestors to induce new abilities that, over time, will cause the development of an intelligence capable of creating new technology.
Many readers will recognise this scene from the novel 2001, A Space Odyssey, by Arthur C. Clarke, and the film of the same name, directed by Stanley Kubrick. It almost goes without saying that the crystal monolith in question is the work of an extraterrestrial civilisation that observes life on other planets and “experiments” on them to encourage the development of intelligence in as many parts of the cosmos as possible.
Seeking simple answers to complex questions
Understanding how we, as a species, came to be intelligent is one of the great enigmas of evolutionary study. Small mutations, followed by a process of natural selection to choose the most advantageous, seems too slow a process for structures as complex as the human nervous system or brain to emerge. It is this very complexity that allows millions of neurons to communicate with each other, resulting in the emergence of qualities such as the ability to respond voluntarily to environmental stimuli, or to ask questions about the very nature of humankind and the universe.
Nowadays, we know that there are evolutionary mechanisms that have lead to great leaps in terms of complexity, but that does not stop people from turning to non-human forces – Gods, extraterrestrials, spiritual energies – to explain things that are difficult to comprehend.
This has always been the case, in all human cultures. A classic example would be attributing atmospheric events – thunder, lightning, floods – to the wrath of God. These ideas came about before humans had ever left the ground, so it is no surprise that we turned our eyes even higher – to extraterrestrials – to explain other phenomena that we could only observe once travelling at high altitudes became part of our daily lives.
The allure of the unknown
The possibility that we might have been visited by beings from other worlds has always fascinated us. The element of mystery, of the unknown, only makes it more interesting.
Any phenomenon is made all the more enticing when it seems it is being covered up or hidden for secretive reasons. The attractiveness of conspiracies often leads people towards ideas which have no scientific basis, such as the belief that the Earth is flat, that humans never set foot on the Moon, or that vaccines can control our behaviour.
Even though these ideas have repeatedly been shown to be untrue, their rapid dissemination through social media, using simple, blunt language that appeals to emotion over logic, makes them very powerful weapons.
The supposed “proof” of alien visits to our planet ranges from specific Bible passages to ancient stone carvings portraying creatures or objects that may appear to be aliens or spacecraft. The latter often take the form of flying saucers.
However, we cannot forget that humans have always created imaginary creatures that resemble them and attributed them with magical powers. When imagining Gods, humans have given them a human appearance, and almost always imagined them as living in the sky.
When we look at these representations through modern eyes, we associate them with extraterrestrial beings or structures, when in fact they could be referring to a range of different things.
When unproven stories become larger than life
Recently, in the United States Congress, UFOs (currently known as UAPs: “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena”) are back in the limelight. This is because a former air force intelligence official has made claims that the Pentagon is in possession of remains of extraterrestrial craft and “non-human biological matter”. The claims have been backed up by the testimony of a retired navy commander and a former navy pilot.
What we can be certain of is that the more we explore our skies, the more likely it is that we will encounter phenomena that we cannot explain. However, this does not mean that they are extraterrestrial. Past experience has shown us that most of these events can be attributed to optical illusions, spy or weather balloons, space junk, or even satellites that we ourselves have made.
In Spain, UFOs were a hot topic between the 1960s and the 1980s. In this era, everyone knew someone who was convinced that they had seen a UFO. This even reached the point where an exoplanet, called Ummo, was made up. It was populated by a more advanced civilisation than ours who made contact with people on Earth. In the letters these aliens supposedly sent, the ‘Ummites’ explained concepts such as genetics and cell structure.
The truth is that nowadays, reading some of these letters can be quite amusing. The story of the planet of Ummo was ultimately proved to be a monumental hoax, a fact later admitted by its own creator.
The Ummo hoax was even linked to the creation of a paedophile ring, which should make us reflect on the harmful consequences that the spread of fabricated news stories can have.
Can we deny the possibility that intelligent alien civilisations exist?
The answer, of course, is no. The universe is immense, and it is more than likely that circumstances similar to those which led to the appearance of life on Earth have been repeated on other planets. But there is a huge distance (literally and figuratively) between acknowledging the existence of these creatures and considering the possibility that they might have visited us.
Exoplanets, also known as extrasolar planets, are extremely far away, and we are limited by the speed of light which, as proven by Einstein, is the maximum possible speed at which anything can travel. Therefore, the journey to even a “nearby” exoplanet would take thousands of years. Maybe a civilisation more advanced than ours could find a way to do it faster, but not to the point of it being something easy or commonplace.
In any case, if the remains of alien life or spacecraft are stored away somewhere, why are they not being shown to us? Scientists would jump at the chance to analyse this organic matter to find out how it is structured, how it metabolises energy, or what molecules it uses to store genetic information.
Until there is proof, this is not a question of science, but rather, of stories. Stories can be very entertaining, but these kinds of stories do not help us to build a more accurate or helpful view of the world.
Ester Lázaro Lázaro, Investigadora Científica de los Organismos Públicos de Investigación. Especializada en evolución de virus, Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC)
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
The science section of our news blog STM Daily News provides readers with captivating and up-to-date information on the latest scientific discoveries, breakthroughs, and innovations across various fields. We offer engaging and accessible content, ensuring that readers with different levels of scientific knowledge can stay informed. Whether it’s exploring advancements in medicine, astronomy, technology, or environmental sciences, our science section strives to shed light on the intriguing world of scientific exploration and its profound impact on our daily lives. From thought-provoking articles to informative interviews with experts in the field, STM Daily News Science offers a harmonious blend of factual reporting, analysis, and exploration, making it a go-to source for science enthusiasts and curious minds alike. https://stmdailynews.com/category/science/
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Entertainment
Little Woodrow’s Launches 2026 Turtle Racing Season With ‘TurtleVerse’ Theme
Little Woodrow’s has launched its 2026 turtle racing season with a new TurtleVerse theme, bringing weekly Thursday night races, themed turtle competitors and a new loyalty program to locations across Texas.
Little Woodrow’s Opens 2026 Turtle Racing Season Across Texas
Little Woodrow’s is bringing back one of its most recognizable Thursday night traditions with the launch of its 2026 turtle racing season, this year under a new retro sci-fi-inspired theme called TurtleVerse. The season officially began March 5 and runs weekly through Nov. 19 at participating locations in Houston, San Antonio, Lubbock, Austin and, later this spring, Frisco.
The long-running event, which started in Midtown Houston nearly two decades ago, has grown into a signature piece of the Texas neighborhood bar chain’s identity. This year’s TurtleVerse concept adds a comic-book-style multiverse angle to the races, pairing the usual crowd energy with themed branding and a lineup of turtles carrying names like Turtle Swift, Shellvester Stallone and Timothée Shellamet.
Woody’s Brands President Ray Risley said the company wanted to build on one of Little Woodrow’s most popular traditions by leaning into both nostalgia and humor. In addition to the themed races, the company is also introducing a new Turtle Journey loyalty program, allowing guests to check in, earn points and redeem rewards throughout the season.
Little Woodrow’s said races begin at 7 or 8 p.m., depending on location. Fans can find schedules, turtle bios and loyalty program details at Little Woodrow’s website.
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Source: Woody’s Brands via PRNewswire
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