Two Chicago bars near Soldier Field, the home of the Chicago Bears, will not show NFL games as a show of solidarity with free agent Colin Kaepernick’s protest against the killings of unarmed black men, women and children by police.
According to DNAinfo Chicago, Velvet Lounge and the Bureau Bar, both of which benefit from airing NFL games on Sundays, have refused to show football as long as the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback is without an NFL home.
Many believe that Kaepernick, who hasn’t even been strongly considered for a position this upcoming season, is being blackballed by the league for his decision to protest by kneeling when the national anthem is played before NFL games.
“Every bar benefits from football games ... this is more about right and wrong,” Kenny Johnson, the owner of both bars, told DNAinfo. “We’ll take a hit, but be OK.”
Johnson told the news site that Kaepernick’s unemployment “just didn’t sit well” with him. He added that it’s hard to believe Kaepernick “can’t get a job when he’s better than a number of quarterbacks who have jobs.”
“This was a way to make a statement,” Johnson said. “Hopefully, something changes, and I would encourage other bars to do this also. We’ll do something else on [football] nights. What I’m doing is small in comparison to what some people have to do to speak out.”
Read more at DNAinfo Chicago.