TIME Puts Kaepernick On Cover: Leading the ‘Perilous Fight’ Against ‘Privilege,’ and… ‘Patriotism’?

As a reward for expressing his disdain for a country he says “oppresses” minorities by standing by and letting police “murder” innocent black people with no consequences, TIME magazine gave backup quarterback Colin Kaepernick their latest cover.

The cover features a resolute Kaepernick kneeling, a photograph taken at one of the games in which he refused to stand for the national anthem.

“The Perilous Fight” reads the heroic title, followed by lines straight out of the left’s defense of his choice to dishonor the anthem:

“National anthem protests led by Colin Kaepernick are fueling debate about privilege, pride and patriotism.”

Asked by TMZ Sports why they chose the backup QB for the cover, a TIME spokesperson said it was because he had helped stir up “the nationwide debate happening around national anthem protests” and because his anti-anthem movement is spreading “from the rest of the NFL to high schools and colleges across the country.”

No matter how disrespectful or offensive his actions, we are told by the media and even President Obama himself, just so long as he is “starting the conversation,” his actions are worthy of our praise. That apparently applies even if that “conversation” has already been front and center in the national debate for quite some time now.

While TIME and ESPN et al continue to sing the praises of Kaepernick’s “perilous fight” and encourage other athletes to follow his lead, a recent Yahoo Sports/YouGov survey found that 44% of NFL fans said they were willing to give up watching the league if the protests continue.

As for TIME’s choice of image for the cover: It’s certainly a solid hero shot, but might I suggest another option: this photo of the QB sitting glumly on the bench while military servicemen and his fellow teammates stand for the anthem:

Or there’s this instant classic taken by AP Ben Margot of Kaepernick’s “cops are pigs” socks…