Last year, NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick sparked controversy and dominated headlines when he decided to kneel during the playing of the National Anthem, as a way to protest the way America treats its African-American citizens. Now, the football player is in the public conscience once more.

At the end of last season, Kaepernick was released from the San Francisco 49ers, and with the NFL season set to kick off on September 7th, the quarterback has yet to land with another team. On Thursday, August 24, 2017, supporters of Kaepernick demonstrated outside of NFL Headquarters in New York, and let their displeasure with the former player’s situation be known.

There are many that believe that Kaepernick remains unsigned due to his political stances, and some even argue that it is because of straight up discrimination. Even the NAACP has become involved, with the interim president, Derrick Johnson, stating that it’s “no sheer coincidence" that Kaepernick is not on any team’s roster. As NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, dismisses the notion that the quarterback is being blackballed by front offices around the league, Kaepernick, his stance, and his actions have polarized both the country and football fans alike.

I am one of the biggest football nuts you’ll ever meet, so this issue has certainly been at the forefront for me and my circle of friends. I’m not here to argue about whether or not Kaepernick’s stance is right or wrong. I am here to analyze several aspects regarding the movement he started. First, we will start with a simple question; why is Colin Kaepernick still unsigned?

If you really want to know whether Kaepernick is unsigned due to racism, there is a way to figure this out. Look at the numbers he put up last season, compare them to other players at his position, and see where he stacks up. A football team isn’t going to keep a bad player around. In 2016, the 49ers finished with a record of 2-14, the second worst in the NFL that year. Kaepernick started the season on the bench, backing up the starting quarterback, Blaine Gabbert. However, after Gabbert led the team to a 1-4 start, Chip Kelly, the head coach of the 49ers at the time, decided a change was needed and started Kaepernick for the remainder of the year. In the remaining eleven games, Kaepernick was only able to lead his team to one win, and according to ESPN, finished with a total of 2,241 passing yards, 16 touchdowns, and four interceptions. He also racked up 468 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.

While his ability to run with the ball is a nice addition to his overall skillset, when it comes to throwing the ball, Kaepernick is below average compared to his peers. According to NFL.com ,of the 32 starting quarterbacks in the league, he was 29th in passing yards and tied for 25th in passing touchdowns. On top of this, there were four games in which the 49ers lost by a touchdown or less, and Kaepernick was simply unable to make the plays needed to win. However, this is not to say that he had a great supporting cast around him; by all standards, the 49ers were near the bottom in the league at almost every position. Things became so bad that by season’s end, coach Kelly was fired, as was the team’s general manager, and many of the team’s best players left for greener pastures or were cut.

It is difficult to determine whether the failure of the 49ers is the blame of Kaepernick, or of his teammates. While the team was very below average, a great quarterback can bring the best out of his teammates, and Kaepernick did not do this. Besides, even if he were to be signed, there’s no guarantee that he would make the roster of the said team, let alone be the starter. Regardless of whether Kaepernick is signed by a team or not, the movement he started has continued to expand, even to other NFL teams. This preseason, many NFL players have picked up where Kaepernick left off. Notable players such as Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett, and Oakland Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch, both sat during the national anthem before their respective games.

As the preseason has rolled on, the anthem has once again become a hot button issue, and players are asked a lot about their opinions on it during media press conferences. This brings me to my final, and most important point: the consequences. As much as it sometimes seems otherwise, the National Football League is a business, and just like all businesses, they don’t want bad publicity. To this end, Kaepernick may have been cut not for his political opinions, or because of his mediocre play, but simply because he was decreasing ratings and revenue. This opinion is supported by the data; according to a phone survey conducted in early October of last year, a total of 32 percent of those surveyed said that they were less likely to watch the NFL because of the protests. This also correlates to a near double-digit percentage drop in ratings across all television networks.

Even some players understand how protesting the anthem can hurt them, such as Dallas Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant, who took a neutral stance on the topic when asked by a reporter at the team’s training camp, saying “Whatever they got going on with that, that’s them...I don’t really have nothing to say about that." When pressed further about the issue on Twitter, Bryant responded by saying “I got a family to feed”. Tennessee Titans defensive lineman Daquon Jones elaborated further, telling reporters, "It's going to affect your job, your endorsements and your money,”. Jones went on to say, “Someone like me, going into my fourth year, I'm trying to get paid too. A lot of teams will look down at that and say, 'He's a Colin Kaepernick.'"

People tend to forget that football players are people, too. They have lives of their own, and families to provide for. Those players who do not wish to protest the anthem are only trying to maintain the salaries they have, as they know how quickly an NFL team will cut ties with a player, especially one considered non-essential. When you think about it in this way, it makes you realize how much the players who do protest believe in what they are doing. These players are putting their careers on the line to speak out about what they perceive as injustice, and whether you agree with their stance or not, the personal risk that they are taking has earned them my respect. These are men who are doing what they’re doing not for publicity, but because they believe that it’s simply the right thing to do.

So, what should happen with Kaepernick? I don’t suppose it really matters now. Kaepernick may have skill as a football player, but he has the potential to do more as a political activist than anything he could do in the NFL. Regardless of whether or not a football team signs him, Colin Kaepernick brought attention to an issue he felt passionately about and stood up for what he believed in. Now millions of Americans know his name, and what he stands for, and while there are many out there that still disagree with him, that’s a victory in itself.