Sportshour at the Super Bowl: Death in Minneapolis
We look back on an NFL season dominated by politics and protest, and ask if the player protests have failed and how significant the issue is that prompted Colin Kaepernick's campaign in the first place - police brutality, and why Minneapolis–Saint Paul was such an apposite location for this year's Super Bowl... Killed on Facebook: Why I joined the police after my nephew was killed by an officer As well as the home of this year’s Super Bowl, Minneapolis–Saint Paul was also the home of Philando Castile, whose death, at the hand of a police officer, was streamed on Facebook Live by his girlfriend, who was in the car along with her four-year-old child. We meet his mother Valerie, who tells us about that fateful day and her anger at what has happened since. We also speak to Clarence, Philando’s uncle, who despite everything, has recently joined the police force! He tells us why. Kaepernick in the Community Although he hasn’t played this season, Colin Kaepernick has been plenty busy. He has spent the year donating his time, energy and $1m of his own money to community charities. We visit one of them. The Lower Eastside Girls Club is a community-based project empowering girls and women to achieve their goals and to create the next generation of community-minded leaders. We hear from three teenage girls, who are regulars at the club, about the significance of Colin Kaepernick’s message, profile, and support. Turning A New Page Alan Page is a former Minnesotan Supreme Court Justice, activist, philanthropist - and he just happens to be one of the greatest American footballers to ever play the game. As a defensive tackle, he stood up to enormous physical pressure, while off the field he made a point of speaking his mind. He will be honoured on the field at Sunday's Super Bowl, and showed us around his new exhibition of artifacts from the Jim Crow era. He has some powerful advice to the modern-day athlete activist. Have the Player Protest failed? We hear from black conservative Shelby Steele on why he believes the protests have failed and how the players are misguided and wrong to do it in the first place. The Cost of Speaking out Colin Kaepernick is not the first player to claim to have had his career shortened because of a willingness to speak out on social issues. Chris Kluwe had a highly-successful career with the Minnesota Vikings, until he was released for what he claims were off-field reasons. In 2013, he strongly vocalised his support for same-sex marriage and in 2014 he says he was cut from the Vikings team because of it.