Colin Kaepernick has raised awareness to social injustice through his protesting during the singing of the national anthem during games, and several other NFL players joined in. Many NBA players confirmed their support for what Kaepernick is trying to do or have been vocal about bringing awareness to the issues.
However, players in the MLB have been noticeably silent. Orioles Adam Jones has decided to shed some light on the issue, and it might not be what anyone wanted to hear.
“We already have two strikes against us already,’’ Baltimore Orioles All-Star center fielder Adam Jones told USA TODAY Sports, “so you might as well not kick yourself out of the game. In football, you can’t kick them out. You need those players. In baseball, they don’t need us.
“Baseball is a white man’s sport.’’
Baseball is viewed as the more conservative of the three sports. While players probably won’t lose their jobs for protesting, it’s no secret that there aren’t that many African-American baseball players in the MLB.
Jones weighs in on why he agrees with Kaepernick’s protest.
“He believes in what he believes in,’’ Jones says of Kaepernick, “and as a man of faith, as an American who has rights, who am I to say he’s wrong?
“Kaepernick is not disrespecting the military. He’s not disrespecting people who they’re fighting. What he’s doing is showing that he doesn’t like the social injustice that the flag represents.
“Look, I know a lot of people who don’t even know the words to the national anthem. You know how many times I see people stand up for the national anthem and not pay attention. They stand because they’re told to stand.
“That’s the problem. Just don’t do something because you’re told to do something. Do it because you understand the meaning behind it and the sacrifice behind it.’’
“Here’s my thing,’’ Jones says, “there’s somebody on the 49ers’ team that commits an act like that, accosts a 70-year-old man and his kid, and nobody’s talking about that. But they talk about Kaepernick doing something that he believes in, as his right as an American citizen. People need to talk more about that guy than Kaepernick.
“He’s not receiving the ridicule and public torture that Kaepernick is facing. Is Kaepernick hurting me? No. Is he hurting random people out there? No. I support his decision.
“At the end of the day, if you don’t respect his freedoms, then why the hell are we Americans? It’s supposed to be the Land of the Free, right?’
There is no word from Jones or any other players on whether they will join Kaepernick in protest. For now, we have a perception of why they feel they shouldn’t.
