{"id":{"repo_id":"queens","oai_identifier":"oai:queensu.scholaris.ca:1974/27524"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/queens/oai:queensu.scholaris.ca:1974/27524","repository":{"repo_id":"queens","name":"Queens University","base_url":"https://qspace.library.queensu.ca/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"The Kneel for Social Justice: Colin Kaepernick, Megan Rapinoe, and The Black Lives Matter Movement","abstract":"In 2016 Colin Kaepernick captured the attention of America when he did not stand for the playing of the national anthem before a National Football League preseason game to protest racist police violence. Shortly thereafter, Megan Rapinoe a female professional soccer player chose to support Kaepernick and knelt during the national anthem as well in protest. The media and public reaction towards the athletes was influenced by the racial landscape of the United States in 2016. This thesis is a critical discourse analysis of user generated comments on the social media platform Instagram in response to Kaepernick’s and Rapinoe’s protest to determine public perception of athlete activism, racism, and other social issues. Utilizing critical race theory, I argue that dominant discourses in opposition towards the athletes reflect colourblind ideologies and appear race-neutral, but in reality reinforce a white racial hierarchy. In addition, I contend that online social media platforms can function as spaces where hegemonic ideologies around race can be contested.","abstract_html":"In 2016 Colin Kaepernick captured the attention of America when he did not stand for the playing of the national anthem before a National Football League preseason game to protest racist police violence. Shortly thereafter, Megan Rapinoe a female professional soccer player chose to support Kaepernick and knelt during the national anthem as well in protest. The media and public reaction towards the athletes was influenced by the racial landscape of the United States in 2016. This thesis is a critical discourse analysis of user generated comments on the social media platform Instagram in response to Kaepernick’s and Rapinoe’s protest to determine public perception of athlete activism, racism, and other social issues. Utilizing critical race theory, I argue that dominant discourses in opposition towards the athletes reflect colourblind ideologies and appear race-neutral, but in reality reinforce a white racial hierarchy. In addition, I contend that online social media platforms can function as spaces where hegemonic ideologies around race can be contested.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Surya, Andrew"],"institution":null,"degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":"Kinesiology and Health Studies","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["King, Samantha"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":null,"date_issued":"","date_published":null,"updated_at":"2026-07-27T20:35:31Z","subjects":["Colin Kaepernick","Megan Rapinoe","NFL","National Anthem Protest","Black Lives Matter","Police Violence","Athlete Activism","Instagram","Discourse Analysis","Social Media"],"languages":["eng"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/1974/27524","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.department","label":"Department","values":["Kinesiology and Health Studies"]},{"key":"dc:contributor.supervisor","label":"Supervisor","values":["King, Samantha"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Surya, Andrew"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2020-01-03T19:19:09Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2020-01-03T19:19:09Z"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["thesis"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Colin Kaepernick","Megan Rapinoe","NFL","National Anthem Protest","Black Lives Matter","Police Violence","Athlete Activism","Instagram","Discourse Analysis","Social Media"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["eng"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/1974/27524"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["In 2016 Colin Kaepernick captured the attention of America when he did not stand for the playing of the national anthem before a National Football League preseason game to protest racist police violence. Shortly thereafter, Megan Rapinoe a female professional soccer player chose to support Kaepernick and knelt during the national anthem as well in protest. The media and public reaction towards the athletes was influenced by the racial landscape of the United States in 2016. This thesis is a critical discourse analysis of user generated comments on the social media platform Instagram in response to Kaepernick’s and Rapinoe’s protest to determine public perception of athlete activism, racism, and other social issues. Utilizing critical race theory, I argue that dominant discourses in opposition towards the athletes reflect colourblind ideologies and appear race-neutral, but in reality reinforce a white racial hierarchy. In addition, I contend that online social media platforms can function as spaces where hegemonic ideologies around race can be contested."]},{"key":"dc:description.degree","label":"Dc Description Degree","values":["M.A."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Kneel for Social Justice: Colin Kaepernick, Megan Rapinoe, and The Black Lives Matter Movement"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.department":["Kinesiology and Health Studies"],"dc:contributor.supervisor":["King, Samantha"],"dc:creator":["Surya, Andrew"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2020-01-03T19:19:09Z"],"dc:date.available":["2020-01-03T19:19:09Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["In 2016 Colin Kaepernick captured the attention of America when he did not stand for the playing of the national anthem before a National Football League preseason game to protest racist police violence. Shortly thereafter, Megan Rapinoe a female professional soccer player chose to support Kaepernick and knelt during the national anthem as well in protest. The media and public reaction towards the athletes was influenced by the racial landscape of the United States in 2016. This thesis is a critical discourse analysis of user generated comments on the social media platform Instagram in response to Kaepernick’s and Rapinoe’s protest to determine public perception of athlete activism, racism, and other social issues. Utilizing critical race theory, I argue that dominant discourses in opposition towards the athletes reflect colourblind ideologies and appear race-neutral, but in reality reinforce a white racial hierarchy. In addition, I contend that online social media platforms can function as spaces where hegemonic ideologies around race can be contested."],"dc:description.degree":["M.A."],"dc:identifier.uri":["http://hdl.handle.net/1974/27524"],"dc:language.iso":["eng"],"dc:subject":["Colin Kaepernick","Megan Rapinoe","NFL","National Anthem Protest","Black Lives Matter","Police Violence","Athlete Activism","Instagram","Discourse Analysis","Social Media"],"dc:title":["The Kneel for Social Justice: Colin Kaepernick, Megan Rapinoe, and The Black Lives Matter Movement"],"dc:type":["thesis"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-27T20:35:31Z"}