They are the public references for the country. Here is something he said that ignorant fucks like you ignore:
"Racialized oppression and dehumanization is woven into the very fabric of our nation," Kaepernick said in his speech. "The effects of which can be seen in the lawful lynching of black and brown people by the police, and the mass incarceration of black and brown lives in the prison industrial complex.
"How can you stand for the national anthem of a nation that preaches and propagates, 'freedom and justice for all,' that is so unjust to so many of the people living there?"