Professional Athletes Do Not Owe You Gratitude

Saturday morning, many woke up to news of 49ers Quarterback Colin Kaepernick not standing for the National Anthem and is reasons behind it. Now, while most people would’ve been excited to finally get a taste of the sport we’ve all been waiting for, Kaepernick’s actions to exercise his constitutional rights overshadowed it all.

So often the first response you see in these situations, is that the athlete should be “grateful” for the position they’re in. The first thing to understand is that like most other jobs in today’s society, a professional athlete’s job is earned, not given. Kaepernick went through years of competing in order to earn a spot in the NFL and has even lead his franchise to a Super Bowl which earned them more millions in excess.

The NFL rakes in the highest revenue of any sport in reference to team averages, per Fox sports. Each team averages nearly $300 million, courtesy of sponsorships, ticket and jersey sales, and tv deals. All of this revenue is in direct response to the players in the league, and no one else. Without the players, the NFL would cease to exist.

The “shut up and be grateful” conversation is also a very common response to players holding out for higher contracts. For the NFL, most contracts are not guaranteed, meaning a player can get cut at any time. It’s happened to countless players. Meanwhile, NFL Commissioner Roger Gooddell makes over $30 million a year guaranteed. The reality is that most players are worth more than their contracts based on production. In any other business, a businessman will negotiate a deal until it it suits them. Why are athletes expected to “take what they’re given and and shut up”?

In essence, professional athletes do not owe anyone gratitude for their positions. Every cent of revenue that the league brings in is ultimately thanks to the players. The owners are not selling tickets, jerseys, or winning games in order to bring in viewers. So if ever a player wants to step outside of the shackles that they’re expected to stand in and take a stand (or a seat), whether it be for personal or general reasons, that player has more than earned that right.

The Kaepernick response has one again resurface the fact that everyone loves pro-athlete until they step outside of the social realm that so many expect them to be in. The moment you feel that a player should “just shut up, play, and be thankful” is the moment you no longer see them as human, but as a slave to a game.