Stephen Colbert puts Colin Kaepernick's national anthem protest in proper historical perspective


Colin Kaepernick, quaterback for the San Francisco 49ers, is causing a ruckus by refusing to stand during the national anthem in protest of what he calls "a country that oppresses black people and people of color," Stephen Colbert said on Wednesday's Late Show. "A bold stance — or, technically, a bold sits. But the 49ers are playing their last preseason game tomorrow night in San Diego, and all eyes will be on Kaepernick — because anything is more interesting that watching a preseason game."
Among the people upset over this protest is Donald Trump, who shot Kaepernick an "America: love it or leave it" critique. Colbert was amused: "Well said: If a country doesn't work for you, find one that does. That's why Trump's factories are all located in China." Now, Colbert is also a lover of the national anthem who stands up and sings harmony when he hears it. But Trump and Kaepernick both have a right to speak out, Colbert said, name-checking the Constitution. "Constitutionally, Kaepernick protesting and people being upset with him protesting is a win-win — two words the 49ers will not be hearing a lot this season," he quipped.
"But this controversy has made me wonder how the national anthem and sporting events got connected in the first place," Colbert said, and then he explained, tracing the tradition back to 1918 and the Chicago Cubs. "The story proves that playing the national anthem at games is the most American thing of all: marketing," he concluded. "So maybe it's not that offensive to sit it out. Or if it is offensive, it should also be offensive not to buy a mattress on President's Day." Watch below. Peter Weber
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
What to know before turning to AI for financial advice
the explainer It can help you crunch the numbers — but it might also pocket your data
-
Book reviews: 'The Headache: The Science of a Most Confounding Affliction—and a Search for Relief' and 'Tonight in Jungleland: The Making of Born to Run'
Feature The search for a headache cure and revisiting Springsteen's 'Born to Run' album on its 50th anniversary
-
Keith McNally' 6 favorite books that have ambitious characters
Feature The London-born restaurateur recommends works by Leo Tolstoy, John le Carré, and more
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclub
Speed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
A long weekend in Zürich
The Week Recommends The vibrant Swiss city is far more than just a banking hub
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle