Colin Kaepernick grew up as an adopted child in a white family. At an early age he had to learn what it meant to be a black person in a white world. He had a huge dream from his childhood on and that dream became true: As a quarterback in the world’s biggest sports league, he lead his team to the Super Bowl. Colin Kaepernick seemed to be a man with a bright future. He was one of the most famous athletes in the United States. But instead of enjoying the fame, Colin Kaepernick decided to make use of his popularity. There was something wrong in his country and Kaepernick was no longer able to ignore it. Again and again, there had been cases of unarmed black men who had been shot by the police. Kaepernick wanted to stand up against this injustice – and did so by not standing up during the National Anthem, which is traditionally played before sports events in the United States.

When instead he chose to take a knee before the game, the country was in shock. To some Colin Kaepernick was a hero – to others a traitor. Many people followed his lead, by taking a knee but also by protesting in the streets. #TakeAKnee became a movement – and with that, an issue of political topicality. President Trump demanded to get that “son of a bitch” who “disrespects our flag” “fired”. And indeed – in the new season of 2017 Kaepernick was unable to get a new contract. He lost his job as quaterback. Why was that? Was it too much of an economic risk to sign the polarizing player? It seems, Colin Kaepernick at a very young age had sacrificed his career. But he gained something greater. Taking a knee against social injustice will go down in history.