A lot of people think that entertainment is excluded from the outside world. However, these people are living in a world of ignorant bliss. The last place they want this world to be rocked is in their living room with a beer cracked watching their favorite team.

Unless one shuns themselves from the outside world, there is a good chance they have heard about the kneeling controversy in the NFL. This has been a prominent topic in the media for a while now, and people have had time to marinate in it and split into two main sections: Sports and society are inseparable or sports are a form of escapism and politics should remain separate.

As kids, parents want to shield their children from all of the terrors that come along with living in the “real world.” Then, something crazy happens, kids start to grow up and they can start handling these realities like adults, or at least one would think. It is easy to get caught up in the excitement of game days.

There is food, family, friends and football. What more could one ask for on a cool Sunday afternoon? Suddenly, this is interrupted by someone kneeling during the national anthem, and if one is caught up in the escapism of it all, this is irritating.

There never seems to be an acceptable time to discuss race. Kaepernick could not have been more strategic in his planning. Live NFL draws millions of viewers, so Kaepernick was best heard, seen and recognized there. There is no separation of sports and politics.

They are deeply intertwined because, as a society, people are affected by politics in every way, whether one wants to acknowledge it or not. Athletes are a thriving part of society. They have a voice and a deeply effective way of using that voice to spread awareness. Americans have fought for freedom of speech and to try and deny peaceful protest is to deny one of the greatest things about the country.

Photo: by Joe Shlabotnik via flickr