It has been one year since Colin Kaepernick first took a knee during the National Anthem. Kaepernick’s protest was a response to the police brutality that was frequently occurring across the United States.

Kaepernick is now a free agent in the NFL. Many believe Kaepernick was not signed due to the fact that he was kneeling during the anthem, but, in all honesty, no one signed Kaepernick because he is not a good quarterback.

Kaepernick quarterbacked the Super Bowl but what people don’t realize is he was carried by his defense that year. Kaepernick carried a career 59.8 completion percentage. Compared to the current 32 NFL starting quarterbacks that would fall 31st out of the 32 qualifiers. The only player he finishes in front of is rookie quarterback Deshone Kizer.

The rest of the NFL has now joined in on Kaepernick’s movement following derogatory comments made by President Donald Trump.

During a rally for an Alabama senator, Trump said “Wouldn’t you love to see one of those NFL owners when they see someone disrespect our flag say get that son of a b**** off my field right now he’s fired.”

Trump’s comments led to every team in the league leading some form of protest against him.

The problem is not the protesting, but what now is it accomplishing is a question that should be asked.

Fans are beginning to lose interest because the NFL has become too political. If players want to use their superstar platforms in order to pursue change in the country then players and teams should not decline trips to the White House.

According to Forbes, stock shares of all networks that broadcast NFL games are down anywhere between 1% and 8%. These networks paid $5 billion to televise the NFL, and due to the extreme drops in ratings the broadcasters could lose up to $200 million in total earnings.

According to ESPN, through three weeks into the 2017-18 season, attendance has dropped by an average of about 10,000 people per game. Though this is only through three weeks, typically the high points for attendance are at the beginning of a season.

Vernon Davis, Redskins tight end, is an example of what players should use their platform for.

Davis said “If I were invited to the White House I would go just so I could sit down with Trump and discuss where we need to go to get on the same page.”

The protests represent something that needs to be fixed, but until a player finally accepts a visit and takes the opportunity to speak to Trump on issues then the NFL is in grave danger of going under. Fans are pulling away from the NFL at a record pace.

Players need to take the next step instead of turning their back on the President. Until that step is taken, the NFL will continue to lose fans until there are no fans left to be had.