San Francisco 49ers Colin Kaepernick, who has been vocal against social injustice during the playing of the national anthem throughout the NFL season, did not participate in the democratic process where Republican nominee Donald Trump won.
Kaepernick has been kneeling or sitting out when the national anthem plays as a protest for racial inequality and police brutality following a series of killings of African-Americans, joining the 'Black Lives Matter' advocacy. He has since been joined by teammates Eric Reid and Eli Harold.
Kaepernick said that Trump and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton are "both proven liars" and said he did not want to choose between the lesser of evil since "the end is still evil," Mercury News reported.
According to the Washington Post, Trump, after learning about Kaepernick's protest, told the star quarterback that he should "find a new country."
Kaepernick's protest began during the preseason as he chose not to stand for "The Star-Spangled Banner," saying he did not want to honor the national flag for a country that deject black people and people of color.
In the NFL, the election of Trump as president has had a negative effect in respective teams' locker rooms. Some white NFL players said the election of Trump was a testament of Americans wanting change for the country while some black players could not bear the thought of a Trump presidency.
But it is not just the NFL locker rooms that have been affected but also the NFL ratings as well. Yahoo Finance reported that the NFL saw a decrease of more than 10 percent in its ratings while in some games, there had been more than 20 percent of decline.
On the other hand, Kaepernicks's decision of not voting has been criticized by politicians and journalists alike. Alex Reimer of Forbes.com wrote Kaepernick's credibility as a social activist has been tarnished when he did not exercise his right to vote.
Kaepernick might continue kneeling down when the USA's "The Star-Spangled Banner" plays before his San Francisco 49ers see action every game but it is already reality that Donald Trump is the president-elect of his country.