“A Prophylactic of Patriotism”: Newspaper Coverage of Colin Kaepernick’s Star-Spangled Anthem Racial Protest

• In Event: ICA Interactive Paper/Poster Session II
  In Interactive Paper Session: Ethnicity and Race in Communication Interactive Poster Session

Abstract

At the beginning of the 2016 NFL season, Colin Kaepernick, a Black quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, began sitting during the Star-Spangled Banner in order to protest the oppression of people of color in the United States. Instead of beginning a discussion on race, though, Kaepernick’s resistance sparked criticisms that he was unpatriotic and disrespectful of the country’s military. This qualitative textual analysis found that 10 USA newspapers used three major themes to discuss the quarterback’s protest: (a) patriotism; (b) stereotypes; and (c) otherness. Using critical race theory and protest paradigm as a foundational framework, this study argues that these three surrogate themes of Kaepernick’s intervention emerged in lieu of the race discussion he sought to initiate.

Authors

• Shane M. Graber

• Ever Figueroa, U of Texas - Austin

• Krishnan Vasudevan, University of Maryland, College Park