Photo via Chicago Sun Times

Whether you like it or hate it, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is getting you to do exactly what he wants; he is making you talk.

The six-year veteran caused a stir during the last two weeks of the NFL preseason by refusing to stand during the national anthem. When asked why he stayed seated, Kaepernick responded by saying that “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.” Kaepernick went on to say that his protest was “bigger than football” and that it would be “selfish on my part to look the other way.”

Kaepernick’s protest and reasoning exploded on social media as people were fiercely divided over whether to support or be angered over the quarterback’s actions. The protest continued to swell a few days later as Kaepernick was seen at 49ers practice wearing socks that displayed pigs wearing police hats.

Athletes have slowly begun to follow Kaepernick’s lead, as teammate Eric Reid joined Kaepernick in kneeling during the anthem during the 49ers last preseason game in San Diego. Fellow NFL player, Seattle Seahawks cornerback Jeremy Lane, also sat during the playing of the anthem during the Seahawks final preseason game. The protest has also begun to spread outside of the NFL, as U.S. Women’s National Team star Megan Rapinoe knelt during the anthem, stating that she was “disgusted by the way he [Kaepernick] has been treated” and that her action was a nod towards what he is standing for.

Kaepernick’s actions have caused discussion around America about how he is “un-American” and that he should leave the country. However, Kaepernick’s protest is not meant to put a bad name on the United States as a country. All Kaepernick wants is discussion about a serious problem, and that is what he is getting.

Whether it be Philando Castille, Alton Sterling, or the shooting of police officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge, tensions between minorities and police have been the content of many major stories this summer. However, the problem is that many of these stories became old news after a week or so.

A protest like Kaepernick’s keeps stories like a Castille or Sterling running in the news, and that is exactly what he wants. His actions are the answer to NBA superstars Carmelo Anthony, Dwayne Wade, LeBron James and Chris Paul’s plea during the ESPY awards in July that “we need to do better” when it comes to social activism.

In the end, what Colin Kaepernick is doing in protesting the national anthem is neither right nor wrong. There is nowhere that it says that, when the national anthem is being played, every able-bodied person needs to stand. However, what Colin Kaepernick is doing is starting a conversation, a conversation that has now reached the White House, and that is exactly what he wants.