Dr. Edwards thinks Kaepernick worthy of Nobel Peace Prize
If Colin Kaepernick winds up being awarded a Nobel Prize, will that beef up his resume enough to get him a job as an NFL quarterback?
Sorry, that’s a silly question, beneath the dignity of one man’s campaign to see Kaepernick honored by the Peace Prize folks in Oslo.
Dr. Harry Edwards, noted sports sociologist, plans to nominate Kaepernick for the Nobel Peace Prize. Edwards’ timing is good, with Kaepernick’s stock soaring, but it would be a mistake to call Edwards a bandwagon jumper.
The good doctor helped design and build that bandwagon.
Four years ago, when Kaepernick was receiving more jeers than cheers for his kneeling protests during NFL national anthems, Edwards gathered up a Kaepernick No. 7 49ers jersey and a pair of his cleats, and shipped them to the National Museum of African American history and Culture in Washington, D.C., where they are on display.
“A Nobel nomination was always my ultimate goal for Kaepernick,” Edwards told me this week, “not only because he deserves it, but because he would stand in representation of all of the other unsung ath
letes who have contributed and sacrificed so much while paving the way and priming the pump for those who would come after.”
Edwards is referring to Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali, Curt Flood, Jesse Owens and many other sports figures deeply involved in — and leaders of — the struggle for equal rights.
Doc can talk. He has a way with words, he’s got a boatload of ’em, and he plans to use some of them to convince the Nobel committee that Kaepernick is worthy.
“Kaepernick’s commitment, courage and sacrifices were carried out with a silent dignity that spoke to the world of the urgency of his call for justice and human rights, and the world has responded,” Edwards said.
Edwards beefs up his case by linking Kaepernick to his predecessors. Their efforts are all intertwined, a continuum of courage.
Here’s an example: When Robinson broke through Major League Baseball’s color barrier in 1947, he modeled the strategy, commitment and steely resolve that would become tools of the Civil Rights movement that would heat up a decade later. The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. learned from a baseball player.
Robinson inspired King, who inspired Barack Obama. King and Obama have been awarded Nobel Prizes, but not Robinson. Time to let sports folk in on the party? Edwards believes it is, and in his position as sociology professor emeritus at Cal, he has the power to nominate.
Here’s another example: Edwards’ Olympic Project for Human Rights led to the 1968 Olympics medalstand protest by U.S. sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos. When Nelson Mandela was in prison in South Africa, he had a photo of the SmithCarlos protest smuggled into his cell on Robben Island, and used that photo to illustrate how sports can be a venue for resistance and change.
Mandela also invoked Edwards’ doctorate thesis on how sports can model resistance and display new values.
My favorite part of Edwards’ campaign is his suggestion to the committee as to what image they should keep in mind as they consider Kaepernick. You would never, ever guess what that image is. Not Kaepernick kneeling, not Smith and Carlos on the medal stand, not Robinson dancing off third, challenging the world.
First, Edwards notes, “Women have always represented the very best in what is America,” and cites powerful symbols such as the Statue of Liberty and the blindfolded Lady Justice.
In 2003, a 13yearold girl was chosen to sing the national anthem before an NBA game in Portland. The girl stumbled on the words and was near humiliation and panic when she was rescued by Trail Blazers head coach Maurice Cheeks, who stepped in and led the girl and the crowd through the anthem.
To Edwards, that girl represents a youthful nation, America, being helped and uplifted by a black athletic figure. Sure, that’s a bit of a stretch, an odd mashup of symbols, but you have to give it to Doc Edwards for creativity.
Some of us thought Kaepernick’s highest aspiration would be to get another NFL job. Edwards thinks bigger.
Scott Ostler is a columnist for The San Francisco Chronicle. Email: sostler@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @scottostler