Countless Americans are convinced Colin Kaepernick's silent, non-violent protest against police brutality is nothing more than a cry for attention from a backup quarterback at best, and at worst a disrespectful attempt to debase the flag and the Star-Spangled Banner.
In any event, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback has fueled a national debate that reaches far beyond the football field.
Time magazine acknowledges as much by putting Kaepernick on the cover of its Oct. 3 issue.
Kaepernick, after initially sitting during the national anthem, has vowed to kneel in protest of what he described as the oppression of African Americans.