The Kap Effect

College Football is American Football played by student athletes at universities and colleges around the Nation. In American Football they have a Quarterback, in most cases, the Quarterback is the leader and focal point of the Football Team. At the University of Florida, they had a guy named Tim Tebow. Tim Tebow was the Heisman winning and Star Quarterback for the University of Florida Gators, but was also well known for his public display of religious faith on and off the Football Field. On September 27, 2008, the Florida Gators lost a disappointing game against the Ole Miss Rebels; Where Tim Tebow was stopped 1 yard shy away from giving the Gators a chance to win the game. It was a disappointing loss as the Florida Gators were expecting an undefeated season, and another shot at College Football’s National Championship. After the game at the usual post game conference, an obvious emotional Tim Tebow talked about the struggles of the game and delivered the famous “I Promise” speech that will be forever remembered at the University of Florida and College Football history. Tim Tebow’s speech empowered and inspired football fans across the nation and was the reason his team won the National Championship.

A big controversial topic going around in the news over the past few weeks has been Colin Kaepernick and his stand to end the hardship for people of color and police brutality in the United States. This silent stand started early this preseason when a number of different events involving people of color and police officers around the United States not getting along. However, this has started to become more publicized as more and more people in the National Football League have been joining in with Colin Kaepernick and taking a knee or sitting during the national anthem. This stand has become way more than a simple silent stand as many people around the nation are starting to voice their opinions on this subject. Even though everyone argues their thoughts on this subject.

Over the course of the last five years, Tim Tebow established himself as one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of college football and a top prospect in the NFL. During that time he amassed an unparalleled resume - winning two BCS national championships, becoming the first sophomore in NCAA history to win the Heisman trophy, and in the face of massive public scrutiny, being drafted in the first round of the NFL draft by the Denver Broncos. Now, in Through My Eyes, Tebow brings readers everywhere an inspirational memoir about life as he chose to live it, revealing how his faith and family values, combined with his relentless will to succeed, have molded him into the person that he is today. As the son of Christian missionaries,

African American athletes have long been conflicted as to whether or not they should feel patriotic to a country that has oppressed their people. Kaepernick has chosen the best time to shine the spotlight on him with the non-patriotic act since his country is divided between Black Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter. There have been many people siding with, like the thousands of men and women who have tweeted the hashtag #VeteransForKaepernick, and people opposing, like Donald Trump

Tebow began to gain national recognition as a highly touted recruit during his junior year. He became well known for his football abilities, as well as for being an intense competitor with a will to win unlike any other. These attributes lead top-notch college football programs to his doorstep in an attempt to recruit him for their school. As a junior in high school “He ran the 40 in 4.69 seconds and the agility shuttle in 4.16 seconds. He bench-pressed 185 pounds 38 times, and he jumped 32 inches from a standstill. His Sparq Rating-a statistic that combines measurements of speed, strength and power-was 96.9, off the charts for a quarterback” (Staples). It is clear that Tebow had a unique set of skills, which combined with his height and weight seemed to be unparalleled. Florida, Alabama, Michigan LSU and USC all offered Tebow a scholarship to play football

When one think of Tim Tebow what comes to mind? Outspoken Christian, success football player, fantastic book writer, or current right fielder for the New York Mets. Much of his life is explained in his book Through My Eyes (2011). Tebow was born August 14, 1987 in Makati, (Tebow, 2011). As a young kid Tebow was a very active kid playing very many sports his favorite being football (Tebow, 2011). Many of weekends were filled with the word of god and sporting events whether it be football or baseball (Tebow, 2011). According to Tebow (2011) he and his brothers would go out for hours and practice baseball and football. Tebow was the youngest of five so he had a lot working against him when it came to playing with his brothers (Tebow, 2011). He

For many, speaking up for what you believe in can be difficult and risky, but ultimately worth the risk. Colin Kaepernick took this risk, by kneeling during the national anthem to stand up against “ police brutality and the inequality that people of color”(NFL). With many unjust shootings and police beatings of African Americans, Kaepernick’s teammate Eric Reid couldn’t stand the violence anymore after “the killing of Alton Sterling in my hometown Baton Rouge, La”(Reid). Reid joined Kaepernick in taking a knee during the national anthem, in doing this Kaepernick and Reid inspired other players to raise awareness and help those in need. This decision caused huge impacts on the nation, the NFL, and the youth who look up to the players of the NFL.

On August 14 and 20 of 2016 Colin Kaepernick made headlines by sitting on the bench during the 49ers first two regular season games. He wasn`t in uniform so he wasn`t expected to play in those games anyways. There was no grand unveiling of Kaepernick’s sitting protest. Instead, on August 26 of 2016 Jennifer Lee

Racism is prevalent in today’s society and is exposed in the sports industry as well. Various athletes in different sports field experience racism and face it everyday. Social media is a big platform for people to criticize athletes for their failures and success. On the other hand more times than not, racism can be found within the head of organizations of major sports, most noticeably football. The NFL has condoned an abundance of racist actions towards players of Hispanic and African American descent; therefore, the NFL should stop these problems by supporting athletes that take a stand, holding the NFL owners accountable for their actions, and finally, not stereotyping young black athletes into a position based off of racial factors.

When Tim Tebow switched there was a big controversy on why he switched. Many football fans believed that he had only switched because he had enough money to and because he was famous enough to do so.

Colin Kaepernick used his platform to give a silent protest on what he feels is African – Americans not being treated equally in the United States. With the large exposure that sports athletes have, taking a stance on big social issues can bring awareness where it is needed. As the head coach of Team USA, Tortorella does the right to bench whomever he wants regardless of the reason. By taking that stance, he is creating a conflict with his players. He is taking away his players’ freedom of speech and expression to influence social change. Team USA defender, Dustin Byfuglien, is the only African – American player on the roster. If Byfuglien were inspired to participate in Kaepernick’s protest, his right to play for his country would be taken away. This could backfire for Tortorella in the public eye as he is the coach of a country that is built upon freedom of

What neither man could know at the time, what neither could possibly imagine, was that four years later Tebow would be attempting to resurrect his career as a professional athlete on the diamond, not the gridiron.

Smith and Carlos showed how sometimes you have to sacrifice yourself for the betterment of society. This protest also reminds us that if only the groups that want change make a stand, it will take a lot longer for change to happen. Since Norman gave them the one glove idea and wore a patch supporting human rights, he was the symbol for all others that need to help minority groups get justice. He was a white Australian and risked his athletic career to help Smith and Carlos. We can’t expect minority groups to make all the sacrifices to make America to give all Americans equal rights. Protests need to be a group effort by everyone if we want to make a difference. Even though the were hated at first, there are sculptures and murals all around the world of this protest. People are starting to see the impact that Smith and Carlos had on the world. They became an icon for social movements and protests. Colin Kaepernick is the new Smith and Carlos. He noticed change needed to happen so he risked his athletic career and image for the sake of is black brothers and sisters who are being treated

Professional athletes making political statements and sharing thoughts on their viewed social issues has been around since games were first being broadcasted and gave these athletes a stage to make a stand. Along with those actions entered debate for sports fans who are stuck between whether athletes should or should not share their views on things “bigger than sports”.This has been missing from professional sports in recent decades but is now slowly once again becoming relevant. The presidency of Donald Trump along with Colin Kaepernick’s taking a knee to protest the national anthem are the two main reasons for the

Since the introduction of organized team sports into American culture, numerous sports have stepped into the limelight for certain periods of time but none have stuck around as long as football has. Just as with everything else in life, football has had it’s fair share of drawbacks since its invention in the mid-19th century. Despite the drawbacks and criticism football has faced, its role and influence on American culture between the 1890’s and 1930’s far outweigh the negative aspects of its past.