The Kaepernick Effect: Taking a Knee, Changing the World

by Dave Zirin

Riveting and inspiring first-person stories of how “taking a knee” triggered a political awakening among athletes of all ages and levels, from the celebrated sportswriter

“With profiles of courage that leap of the page, Zirin uncovers a whole national movement of citizen-athletes fighting for racial justice.”
—Ibram X. Kendi, National Book Award–winning author of Stamped from the Beginning

Hailed by Publishers Weekly in a starred review as “an enthralling look at the impact of peaceful protest by sports figures at the high school, college, and professional levels,” The Kaepernick Effect explores the story of how quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s simple act of “taking a knee” spread like wildfire throughout American society, becoming the preeminent public symbol of resistance to America’s persistent racial inequality.

In this powerful book, critically acclaimed sports journalist and author Dave Zirin chronicles “the Kaepernick effect” for the first time, through “a riveting collection of first-person stories” (The Nation) from high school athletes and coaches, college stars and high-powered athletic directors, and professional athletes across many different sports—from Megan Rapinoe to Michael Bennett. In each case, he uncovers the fascinating explanations and motivations behind what became a mass political movement in sports.

“Necessary reading for all, especially those who want to make a difference in promoting social justice, equity, and inclusion, and end police brutality” (Library Journal, starred review), The Kaepernick Effect is for anyone seeking to get involved in the new movement for racial justice in America: “Take a knee, everyone, and start a revolution” (Kirkus Reviews).

Genres: Sports, Nonfiction, Politics, Race, Football, History, Social Justice

240 pages, Paperback

First published September 14, 2021

About the author

Named of the UTNE Reader’s “50 Visionaries Who Are Changing Our World”, Dave Zirin writes about the politics of sports for the Nation Magazine. He is their first sports writer in 150 years of existence. Zirin is also the host of Sirius XM Radio’s popular weekly show, Edge of Sports Radio. He has been called “the best sportswriter in the United States,” by Robert Lipsyte. Dave Zirin is, in addition, a columnist for SLAM Magazine and the Progressive.
[from http://www.edgeofsports.com/bio.html]

Reviews

[Brandice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whether you’re a football fan or not, you’ve likely heard about former NFL player, Colin Kaepernick, kneeling rather than standing for the flag of a nation that disrespects many of its citizens, which ultimately resulted in him being dropped from the league despite immense talent on the field.

Kaepernick’s decision to kneel was risky yet brave, applauded by some, criticized by others. This book delves into the far reaching impact of his actions, inspiring other athletes at the pro, collegiate, and high school levels to do the same and take a stand, protesting against police brutality and the inequalities of our country. Several stories of those athletes are shared here.

“The athletes who kept the struggle alive at the professional level from 2016 to 2020 accomplished an incredibly important task. They did not let Kaepernick become the ghost story. Because they did so, an entire generation of young athletes have come of age in the past five years who see Kaepernick as someone to emulate, not someone whose story provokes fear.”

While this is by No means similar to the tragedy of Parkland High School in 2018, I couldn’t help but be reminded of those students in reading the stories shared here in The Kaepernick Effect — Their commitment to do what’s right despite facing backlash from adults and other students, their refusal to stay silent, their willingness to be criticized and continue protesting to demand justice and accountability. I’m proud of my own Millennial generation for all we’ve endured and our general refusal to accept “the way it’s always been”, particularly in the sometimes antiquated work world, but Gen Z is even more committed to doing what’s right and we’re lucky to have this youthful energy, motivation, and voice demanding change.

Thank you to NetGalley and The New Press for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Kaepernick Effect: Taking a Knee, Changing the World
by Dave Zirin

I think more people understand now what Kaepernick was taking a knee for after seeing George Floyd's murder. But at the time Kaepernick was kneeling, Kaepernick was an ousider but also an inspiration to many that had lived or living with the constant racist attacks and taunts. At the time too, there were plenty of minorities that were being killed in plain sight by cops and nothing was done about it. Justice was not in action in America. The flag did not mean freedom and justice for all and Kaepernick was willing to give everything to bring attention to this fact.

Kaepernick's bravery and commitment to bringing the injustice to light inspired many people in the sports field to also take a stand. Professional, semi-professionals, coaches, various team athletes, and cheerleaders all share stories. Even teachers. This book tells us about some of them and how they became involved. Many have some very horrific tales of racist attacks before they take a stand but they didn't let that stop them. The attacks became even worse after they took their stand.

The Kaepernick effect on young people had them standing up to get the change started. They started with getting people to talk about racism, injustice, BLM, and police brutality. It spread like crazy with high school and colleges. This also tells of how people tried shutting them down.

This is very informative and interesting. I enjoyed the stories of these brave kids. It was sickening to read all they went through in their day to day life just because they were of color! They should be very proud of themselves for their decisions to try to make a change in this messed up world!
I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this book!

[Traci Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isn’t what I was expecting. Mostly interviews with folks who protested in their sports who were inspired by Kaepernick. It’s a little redundant. Some of stories are very powerful. Some are a little dull. Love Zirin’s constant reminder that sports are and have always been political.

[Deacon Tom (Feeling Better) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some exceptional points but many other. Very political points.

Just know ahead of time what you are into

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Kaepernick Effect is essentially a collection of interviews with people across the nation who took the revolutionary step of choosing to take a knee in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick who did so to protest systemic oppression.

THE LIMITATIONS: Don't come to this book looking for a deep, scholarly analysis of racism in America. It is a raw and organic account of racism from varying viewpoints. A conservative reading this will have many objections to the core claims made by the students and individuals in this book. "But the cops didn't kill Sandra Bland! She [allegedly] committed suicide!" Things like that come to mind. There is much taken for granted in this piece. In addition to this, I think another reviewer noted that stories become redundant and often you feel like you're reading the same interview again.

THE GOOD: But the redundancy, I think, is the point. Time and time again, we see communities that have all the superficial features of a post-racial society shockingly and strangely transformed into the Deep South of the 1960s. Teams are booed and disbanded, friendships ruined, individuals of color called n**** or monkey and told to go back to Africa. And that is the striking feature of each of this accounts: here in 2021 America, it happens OVER and OVER again. Not in isolated incidents but as a systemic and coordinated attack on individuals taking simple gesture: taking a knee.

I thought to give this book three stars because, to be honest, yes the stories do get redundant and not everyone is giving a college thesis on systemic racism. They are speaking from their souls and those to blind to see it will likely mock such diatribes. But I am reminded of The Chicago Defender, a black newspaper that spoke out against lynching during the early 1900's. They were not always accurate, but they were on the right side of history and they were getting on the record the atrocities occurring in the first half of that century. What Dave Zirin has collected is an important piece of history for posterities sake. So that those in future generations can know that the vitriol was not imagined, they can know that pain was not an apparition, they can look in the eyes of the afflicted and chose a side.

[Megan Gorecki | wellreadmegs · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This is now the 2nd or 3rd book I've read written by Dave Zirin. His books perfectly cross the intersectionality of sports and politics. This book I feel like should have been called The Kaepernick Effect: stories from a movement. Unlike Zirin's books usually, this book was mostly just excerpts of different athletes across high school, college, and professional sports who took a knee & the impetus for doing so. Although interesting to hear the many stories, I found myself wanting more of an analytical look into these movements besides first-person interviews and perspectives.

Maybe we are not far enough removed yet from the timing of this book and current world events to truly take an analytical approach.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was excellent and I’m so glad I stumbled across it! It’s many vignettes about other athletes who took a knee, and the repercussions that brought.

I see that some people said the book gets repetitive. I sort of understand that, but I mostly don’t. I mean, it’s true that all of the stories are about an athlete taking a knee. But each story is different, and I thought that was the power of the book. I had no idea so many athletes were taking a knee after Kaepernick did, and it was very powerful to read about each of their decisions and what they each had to face as a result. Some of the repercussions were so terrible, I can hardly believe this is my country that we’re talking about. Very sad and very hefty stuff.

Most of the book is about high school and college athletes, but there is a bit on pro athletes, too. I was really saddened to read the vignette about the former baseball player who essentially lost his career over this. The book calls baseball the most “conservative” sport, and I think they mean the most “white” and also the most “systematically racist.” It really saddened me, and the interview with the baseball player is just … very sad.

I’m so glad this book exists. (And I hope Colin Kaepernick is, too?) I feel like there’s been a bit of a marketing failure here—this book should have had more chatter when it came out in 2021.

[Lena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Colin Kaepernick is a name many around the world known for his brave decision to take the knee instead of standing for a nations flag that disrespects so many of it's people. This stance eventually led to Kaepernick being dropped from the NFL. Whilst this risky decision was applauded by many, the majority heavily criticised it, This book explores many people, especially the younger generation, within sport that took inspiration from this and decided to kneel in solidarity with Kaepernick.

In this collection of interviews we see how these brave individuals never wavered in the their solidarity. Even when they faced backlash, racism, literal rubbish being thrown at them. All in the hopes to start a conversation, one that spread like wildfire amongst high schools and colleges. It's a powerful and inspirational to see that the younger generations refuse to accept that the way things have always been is the right thing now.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

This might be Zirin's finest work to date. The purpose of the book is to illustrate the deep effect the Colin Kaepernick kneeling protest had on a wide spread array of young athletes and beyond. The book is divided into three sections: high school athletes, college athletes, and professional athletes (interestingly, the shortest section which speaks to how the book is really centered on young people.) 

It reads very engagingly because Zirin lets the participants speak for themselves, and it takes a chilling pattern: The mostly African-American (but not entirely) teenager or young adult athletes take a knee during the national anthem after being inspired by Kaepernick's show of solidarity with the rising Black Lives Matter movement. Then, the reaction begins in fury, with parents openly letting loose in racist tirades, teachers, coaches, and principles working to silence the athletes and sometimes outright running them off the team. Then, the continuing and vicious reaction tests the athletes resolve, and many of their allies and comrade crumble. One particularly disturbing part has a mostly black football team read the entire Star Spangled Banner, where in the seldomly sung third verse, the poem speaks of killing slaves who had fled to the British lines, written by the slave-owning Key. Zirin makes the book even stronger by revisiting all of many interviewees to ask them about the George Floyd murder and huge protests of 2020, and across the board, the speakers say that they are both saddened the struggle continues but proud they were on the right side of history. 

Zirin says in the introduction that he originally started writing this book to give a voice to those lesser known anthem-kneelers because he was afraid the moment would be forgotten, but then the 2020 protests happened that began to shake up the old police-as-gods consensus. This book is quite timely, and due to recording the voices of this wave of kneelings, will age well. At the end of the book, the section on professionals contains the more well known names in Michael Bennent, Megan Rapinoe, Eric Reed, and more, but the real meat of the book shows how widespread in high schools and colleges across the United States this movement for racial justice by politically aware athletes had become and continues today. A must read.

Note: Received a Review Copy to write this review.

[Marc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zirin's book consists of inspiring and insightful interviews with a range of athletes (and one national anthem singer) from high school, college, professional, and Olympic teams. The focus of these interviews, as evidenced by the title of the book, is how Colin Kaepernick inspired them to kneel (or raise a fist) during the national anthem to express concerns about our country, specifically the treatment of black and brown individuals by the police. The lengthy interviews explain how the athlete made the decision to make this statement, how their coaches, teammates, and community reacted, and the consequences of their actions. These consequences typically included threats on social media, being benched or kicked off the team (or out of the sport), being harassed at games, and on rare occasions being applauded and championed for their courage. The athletes he interviews express themselves clearly and compellingly, making powerful arguments for their decisions and actions and explaining how their personal histories or studies led them to take these steps. The largest concern with these interviews is they're often repetitive, with many athletes making similar points and only occasionally raising a unique argument or idea.

The book misses being more persuasive and compelling because Zirin did no research, provides very little context for the stories, overlooks at least one enormous example (the Milwaukee Bucks refusing to play a playoff game out of protest), and doesn't explore the narrative or examples provided by his interview subjects. For example, I wanted to know what teammates and coaches thought about their actions and how they made their own decisions (Zirin rarely interviews coaches, and the few times he does it's those who were supportive); I wanted to know what happened at some of the games from an objective perspective (or at least one beyond the storyteller's); I wanted to hear from fans and get their opinions instead of reading this through the lens of the athlete; and often I wanted to know the stories behind the individuals who inspired these actions. Some are very well-known--George Floyd, Trayvon Martin, Breonna Taylor, Michael Brown--while others are less familiar and are repeatedly referenced without explanation. Any of this could have been easily accomplished with a little research and time and would have provided far greater context for the book's argument,.

Perhaps most surprisingly, Zirin doesn't even interview Colin Kaepernick. Given the thesis of his book, the lack of Kaepernick's perspective is a glaring omission that makes the reader wonder how much effort Zirin put into his research and interviews. Based on the final product, it looks like the answer is "not much." There's excellent and insightful information in this book, but it could have been much stronger and more persuasive with a little extra effort.

[Anna (bibliophiles_bookstagram) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an inspiring collection of tales of high school, college, and professional athletes and individuals who took a knee or stood up for social justice. Yes, we get Colin Kaepernick's story, but Zirin finds and tells other stories as well, stories and actions inspired by Kaepernick.

Here are some of my favorite takeaways:

"Right now, it's almost easy or trendy or cool to be someone who stands up for social justice. Which is great! I'm glad it's seen as cool now for people to be able to do it and jump in. But it's possible because there was a first group to get the backlash, to not be cool or trendy or comfortable."

"It was so helpful to me to grapple with whiteness and our responsibility as white people to be better. Because if we're not actively trying to be better, we're just, by default, part of the problem."

"There's just something about Blackness that makes certain people enraged. What times we are living in. How is it a peaceful protest bringing your gun to the Capitol building steps and threatening elected officials, and kneeling for the anthem isn't?"

There's too many thought-provoking parts to list. I highly recommend.

[Kayla Pace · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book because I was purely curious to see what kind of impact people all over the country who took a knee had and what kind of response they received. All of the stories are interesting (a little redundant) and I love that each person who kneeled got to explain their individual decision to kneel—some of which I never even considered— but I’d really like to see an updated version of this book down the line, when these people are older and have had the chance to make tangible long-term changes for the better in their communities. It felt kind of incomplete. It’s nice to see that these stories have been documented though, and in detail so that they can hopefully be revisited in the future when those who knelt have more opportunity to make lasting differences.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book details high school, college, and professional athletes who took a knee or raised a fist following Kaepernick’s lead. The book contains a lot of interviews and provides space for the individuals in the book to provide their reason for demonstration and what it meant to them. Many of these stories are very powerful, angering, and sad all at the same time. So many brave individuals who took a knee or raised a fist without the backing of their coaches, teammates, and often times their own communities. Time after time, the grownups and those in charge allowed the individuals to suffer and take the brunt of the backlash. I was inspired by the youth in this book and hopeful for the change they will help bring about.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciated how this book looked at the area where spots and politics overlap, and how sports can be used to campaign for change. Given how massive sports are worldwide, it only makes sense that some people have chosen to use that spotlight, for better or worse, to highlight social ails.
The best thing about this book though is that it shines a light on regular people, often teens and young adults, who also took a knee while not having the same safety net that Colin Kaepernick did. I firmly feel that they’re on the right side of history and that the next generation is really going to be a force to be reckoned with.

[Ramiro Guerra · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the title suggests, this book was about the influence Colin Kaepernick’s actions had on athletes of all ages throughout the country as they saw their communities react to his kneeling. As they followed in his footsteps via peaceful protest, many of these athletes had to confront similar backlash, but also found strength in community and support as they joined the fight for racial justice.

Although it broke my heart to hear how much hate these athletes experienced, much of it happened when they were just kids, it also healed me to hear their resolve as they reflected back on their experiences. *the author interviewed a bunch of athletes around the time they started kneeling in 2016-2017 and then also followed up with some during and after summer of 2020 that saw some of the biggest uprisings this country has ever seen*.

The future is bright, as the upcoming generation is the least tolerant of *INTOLERANCE*. The kids are alright.

[Sam Whitehill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zirin aims to share the stories of the numerous athletes, from high school to the pros, who followed in Kaepernick’s footsteps and took a knee. Most of these people faced intense backlash and suffered personal sacrifices so that your neighbor can have that Black Lives Matter yard sign. (There are moments of solidarity and hope in here too.)

[Alan Razee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stories in this book highlight the best in some people as well as the worst in some people (though the best in people is what this book is really about). It reminds us that humans are contradictory: both selfless & selfish.

[Chris Jaffe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and it has its moments, but it tends to be wearyingly monotonous. I'd call it a failure of organization on Zirin's part. He wants to profile athletes who came forward to take a knee after Kaepernick kicked off a movement in 2016. To this end, Zirin interviewed dozens who were inspired by Kaepernick, and profiles them all. It's a noble idea, but around the 30th story it all starts to sound like you've read it before. Maybe it would've been better to break it up by themes or something. As is, a litany of overlapping experiences starts to read like a 19th century county history, where you're geting simliar stories for 100 pages.

The best part comes early, when Zirin interviews high school kids. These are the most inspirational, and often the most frustrating as these are 15-year-olds (or so) being treated like dirt for - GASP! - acting in accordance with their constitutional rights to protest on behalf of civil and human rights. Gee, the nerve of them. (Also, since the earlier stuff is the best, that also means the book becomes increasingly deflated as it goes along. By the time you get to the pros at the end, the book feels more rote because we've heard the stories before - both earlier in this book and in earlie interviews by these very pros.

Interesting that not a single person regrets it. Even those who got shat on. Even the coaches who lost their jobs. No one regrets it. Good for them.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book! Well written interviews of athletes, from hugh school to process, that took the knee. Reading their insights as to the why they took part helps to further open your eyes to the issues.

[Rhonda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is one that should be shared with every human that reads & even those who don't. It's a must read. I'm in a biracial marriage and knowing the struggles we have from family, strangers hurts of course, but to read the sickening attacks that have happened in other's lives puts things into perspective.
Kapernick started a movement that people still struggle to understand but until people read this book and even more stories of WHY he took that knee history will repeat as it has in the past.

[Ell, Ess Jaeva · Rating 1 out of 5]

hs and collegiate athletes saw what the power in taking the knee... they copied it... there were conflicts with admin b/c racism, or traditionalism, or "keeping politics outta sport"...

however there is no depth...

this author seems to come from the perspective of righteousness, no need to interrogate motivations, congruence or understanding... just... this is how athletes protested... these were the repercussions... shame on those haters who didnt support the athletes... and it all seems from the 30k ft level of left leaning commercial news outlets

imho these athletes are doing no more than following the latest fad vs addressing anything real in their personal experiences

[Rebecca McPhedran · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really interesting look at the lasting impact of Colin Kaepernick’s taking a knee during the national anthem in 2016. Dave Zirin looks at three different groups of athletes (high school, collegiate, and professional) and how Kaepernick, and the wider systemic racism spurred them to take a knee to draw attention to the issue.

An interesting read, not what I was necessarily expecting, but I definitely enjoyed it.

[Nicholas Taddeo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved reading this book. Teaching and coaching at a middle school during the Trump administration meant having a lot of hard conversations with kids about the state of race and class in America and I saw a lot of my students in these athlete anecdotes. I really loved that Zirin kept most of the stories in their own words and dedicated the majority of space in the book to the high school and college athletes. I think this book pairs nicely with Etan Thomas's We Matter and continues to illustrate the effect that athletes can have in pushing these crucial conversations forward.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

A look at how Kaepernick's national anthem protests against police brutality have reverberated across the sports world, from high school to college to pros. This does get repetitive after a while, as many of these stories are quite similar, but who can get tired of (mostly) young people having a moment of realization about racial injustice and deciding to take action?

[Trevor Seigler · Rating 4 out of 5]

When he took a knee in 2016, Colin Kaepernick was taking a stand against police brutality and for social justice. Full stop, end of discussion, don't even continue reading this review if you disagree, because you don't want to see it for what it was. Seriously, stop reading this review now if you have any issue with that first sentence.

Okay, for the rest of the review: his principled stand cost him his career in the NFL, but it helped to ignite a movement by athletes of all stripes, across all ages, to kneel as he did, and face the sort of verbal abuse that he did as well. In the wake of George Floyd's murder in 2020 and the unrest that provoked, Kaepernick's example once again set the tone for how we responded as a nation to the collective injustice that says that one person's life is less valuable than another's simply on account of their skin color (or ethnicity, or gender identity, or sexual orientation, what have you). Dave Zirin has collected the stories of many of those athletes in this, "The Kaepernick Effect." It's less about Kaepernick himself than the athletes he inspired, but make no mistake: his kneeling during the National Anthem is the spark that lit up the movement that we still see today.

Zirin presents a wide range of voices, most especially from young athletes who were in high school when the kneeling began and who saw the hostile reactions of many so-called "adults" (including the future president of the United States, a failed reality-TV star who used racial fears to fear-monger his way to the White House) and decided that the time had come for them to do their part. Many of the protesters are people of color, but some allies from the white community are heard from as well, including Megan Rapinoe (who faced a similar backlash as Kaepernick at the time but, because of our culture's lesser regard for women's sports, has continued to have a career, as well she should; Kaepernick was blackballed by the NFL, and some of the professional and college athletes who Zirin profiles also faced loss of employment or chances to advance to higher levels in their sport due to their activism). Zirin, a sportswriter who has never shied away from the realities of how sports reflect American politics (good but especially bad), pulls no punches in highlighting the strife that occurred to many of the people profiled here, but he also holds out hope through their words that change, as Sam Cooke once sang, though a long time coming, is going to occur.

There are still people who conflate the protest of Kaepernick and others as somehow "anti-military" or "anti-American." These people need a serious refresher on what the Constitution says about freedom of speech, and what our actual history as a nation is with regards to our most marginalized populations. America has never been great, much less in need of being made "great again." Colin Kaepernick started a movement that helped push Black Lives Matter into the forefront of our national discussion, and while it may be convenient to suggest that the work is over, that the crisis is over, COVID-19 and the continued efforts of Republican lawmakers to disenfranchise Black and other minority voters highlight how far we still have to go. With the examples in this book, it behooves us all to take a stand (or take a knee) when we know what we're witnessing isn't right.

[Colette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish there were half stars because I'd rate this more as a 3.5 than just a 3.

I liked this book and it did what the synopsis promised - providing the stories of those that had followed in Kaepernick's footsteps whether they be high school or college student athletes, pros, coaches or parents across a wide variety of sports throughout the US.

The book became a little repetitive with the reasons and motivations behind these people deciding to take action, however I think that ends up highlighting why action needed to be taken, why Kaepernick took a knee in the first place, that these incidents of police brutality or murdering of black men and women, of the injustices in America were not a one off but baked into the system of the country, so whilst it did feel like you were reading the same thing over and over, these stories drove home the point that no matter where you were in America, this mattered.

I think it was important to hear from the student athletes at both high school and college level, as well as their coaches. These were kids that endured so much for doing something peaceful and didn't hurt anyone, yet for some the consequences were great.

I would have liked to have heard more from the professional side - from coaches and GMs and league directors, although I know it's very unlikely that they would have spoken on the record. It would have also been interesting to hear from political figures and sports reporters to hear what they thought of Kap's actions at the time and what they think now, if their views have changed.

The person I really wanted to hear more about and from was Kaepernick. I know that it was meant to look at the effect his kneeling had on a nation-wide level, however I think it's also important to understand who he is, the impact this had on him and where he is now and how the league has changed but he's still not been allowed back in. I don't know if everyone that picks this up will necessarily have a full understanding of the before or the after of his kneeling, so it could have been useful to have a more rounded and complete view of the man that took a stand (knee) but then again, it's not supposed to be an autobiography of Kap.

Overall, I did really like it and if anything it left me thinking that thought of 'The Kids Are Alright'. These kids are so engaged, they care about their communities and others and they believe that they should be heard and that we should all be equal. They are willing to sacrifice their own futures and safety to bring awareness to a very real issue, to demand change and accountability and to make people look inward. I'm glad that they are our future.

[a_goks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, I found this book to be good and I liked the way it was organized. The courage of some of the youngest protesters was really amazing. I’m a big sports fan in general and I just found myself really inspired by these young people and also really frustrated by the system around them.

Colin Kaepernick’s act of taking a knee wasn’t/isn’t just about police violence and brutality, although those are VERY IMPORTANT things to stand against. Moreover, it’s a protest against the way society functions. Poverty is racism. Black an brown families are disproportionately affected by poverty and lack of resources, education and opportunities. The world we live and operate in just perpetuates all that.

There were some great quotes in the book:

“There’s nothing more detrimental than silence. There’s nothing more detrimental than saying, ‘I’m too afraid. I don’t know what’s going to happen, so I’m not going to do it”

You can be racist at 6 years old. It’s how you’re taught. But once you’re taught something, you can also unlearn it, and learn to love instead of hate.

What’s the point of protesting to be subtle? You protest to make a statement.

If a white man wants to lynch me, that’s his problem. If a white man has the power to lunch me, that’s my problem.

“Racism is not a question of attitude, it’s a question of power.”

People will always say to me, ‘Oh, you’re always bringing in the race card.’ I shoot back with, ‘No, you say that I bring race cards, because you’ve never had to deal from that deck.’

It’s not “politics” that they don’t want in the sports world. It’s a certain kind of politics. It’s resistance politics. It’s antiracist politics. The platform athletes enjoy must be used either to sell products or to mimic the politics of the bosses, or a price will be paid.

‘You know what? I’m going to do this because I need people to understand this is not about you.’ It’s kind of like how kids throw a tantrum. They don’t actually want to throw themselves on the ground. They want you to hear what they have to say or try to help them get their point across.

It was a threat to systems. The team was really protesting systemic racism but also all forms of oppression, and I think that systems and whiteness don’t appreciate it when they see that.

“You guys should peacefully be protesting.” “Well,we tried that, and that wasn’t good enough either, so what else do you want from us?”

[Craig LeVasseur · Rating 3 out of 5]

I followed Dave Zirin in real time through podcasts and his writing in 2016 throughout the Kaepernick controversy, so there wasn't ever really a doubt of me buying this book. I had a good idea of what was going to be in this book when I started, and I expected that it could get a little repetitive. I was right, it is extremely repetitive, and in the most frustrating of ways. The level of support for the protesting players from coaches and members of the athletic administration differed in each story, but there were always fans who showed their ignorance and responded with threats of violence, and boosters or other "stakeholders" who tried to pressure leadership at the school to discipline players for expressing their freedom of speech, or risk losing funding or even their jobs.

I found the stories at the college level to be the most interesting, as the circumstances at different levels of play, in different sports, and in different parts of the country were complex and more unpredictable. On one end, you have the really disappointing story of the women's basketball coach at Santa Barbara, who expressed support prior to her player protesting, then later shamed her player as pressure built from boosters and university leadership, and then later after the George Floyd killing, when it was suddenly in to support social justice, circling back and "checking in" on her former player to make sure she was ok. In that example, the player's white teammates also played the fragility card, holding sobbing meetings where they expressed how uncomfortable their teammate's protests were making their lives, all while their teammate was receiving death threats.

On the other end, the book revealed characters such as Josh Meyer, the former men's basketball coach at Saint Michael's, who showed a positive example of caring for the well-being of his players and being a leader in the fight for social justice. It's a shame that the hypocrisies of college athletics led him leave the industry, as I'm sure he would still be an influential leader in the sport today.

All in all, it's a tough read. It's not super enjoyable. It's probably worth pushing through, though, as there are bits and pieces of inspiring and educational insight to take from the book.

[Kyle C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interviewing a variety of high-school, college and professional athletes around the USA, Zirin documents the wide impact of Colin Kaepernick whose silent protest during the national anthem has sparked a national conversation about police brutality and the place of patriotism in competitive sports. Zirin is a scrupulous journalist who has created a preliminary archive for a growing movement of activist athletes. His interviews show the courage of student athletes in small communities and the racist backlashes they have suffered. He gives a harrowing portrait of persistent racism in cities and rural counties alike.

But Zirin's history is incomplete. While he commendably reports on various student protests inspired by Kaepernick and he elevates their voices, the book does not dig deeper than the interviews and it becomes a tedious tableau of interviews. I want to hear, however, how other team-members felt about the protests and how they chose to support or not support; I want to understand how school administrators justified their heavy-handed discipline of student protests; and, finally, I want to see more broadly why the anthem, the flag and the military specifically are so enmeshed in football culture (there's only a suggestion by one interviewee that anthems only started being played after 9/11).

Zirin does not and should not give a platform to racists nor is a journalistic litigation of both sides always appropriate (because the two sides in this debate are not morally equivalent). But I do feel the book doesn't give a complete history of this debate. How was this topic handled at school board meetings? How involved were diversity deans, college presidents or trustees in decisions about protests? For those who condemn the student protests, how do they feel about police violence? How do they feel about free speech? Are their views about student protestors just unexamined racism masquerading as respectability politics? (I think the answer is probably yes) What is the role of traditional media and social media in spreading hate speech and suppressing local protest? Zirin's interviews are too partial to allow for any critical insight.

[Jared · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't get me wrong. I freaking love Colin Kaepernick. The man's jersey is tattooed on my left thigh (I think at this point all you guys know that, right?) And the story of al of these kids, young adults, and professionals is all inspiring in the risks that they were willing to take to make a statement and horrifying in the sorts of backlash they received all over the country in the 21st GODDAMN CENTURY, in places ranging from the expected to FREAKING VERMONT? C'mon people, i don't know how it isn't super fucking clear when there are children protesting in silence and putting on a brave face and you're clowning them that you're not on the wrong side of history, just like those photos from the 50s of all the people in Little Rock giving those kids a hard time for integrating the school. The stories inspired me and made me feel proud to be a part of a larger tradition when I kneeled for the national finals in 2017 and also before that one 5k where that dude indirectly threatened me and then I got third. That was fun.

All that being said, I thought the structure of this book was very repetitive. While I suppose it is important to highlight all of the different stories of athletes at different levels making the choices they did, I felt like the space of the book would've been better used going much farther into depth on a few of them and then having a list at the end of additional participants in the protest, or just having a clearer through line of the effect Kaepernick had rather than just being told as a series of Vignettes. I guess my lasting takeaway from this book was that it was good and highlighted the right stuff but would've worked better as a newspaper or magazine article.