by Amaury Pi Gonzalez

AP photo: San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick addresses the media following their game against the Miami Dolphins at Miami Gardens on Sunday

SANTA CLARA–Not only Colin Kaepernick has been controversial for kneeling during the National Anthem, but he already caused a controversy in Miami, when in August he attended a press conference with a T-shirt showing Fidel Castro. Then after Fidel Castro died last Friday, he made some comments about Castro’s educational system in Cuba as well as medical system. He has also spoken about oppression in the United States against minorities. Two things happen this Sunday for the 49ers quarterback, when he first took the field and had the ball, and at the very end when he also had the ball and was trying to score.

Before the game Sunday,which the 49ers lost 31-24 and when Kaepernick took the field, he was booed

During the very last play of the game, running with the ball trying to tie the game Kaepernick was tackled by Kiko Alonso of the Miami Dolphins, who is the son of a Cuban-born exile who fled Cuba looking for freedom and totally dislikes Kaepernick. “There was some bad blood there for me with Kaepernick,” Alonso, whose father is a Cuban exile, told The Miami Herald after Sunday’s game.

This season has been truly a nightmare for the San Francisco 49ers, who lost their 10th consecutive game, have a record of 1-10 (you can thank the LA Rams, or they could be 0-11).

It is laughable that Kaepernick talks about oppression here in the United States, yet seems to have sort of a favorable opinion of Fidel Castro who has oppressed and incarcerated people since he declared Cuba a Marxist-Leninist state in the early 1960’s. Mr Kaepernick has all the right in the world to say what he wants to say, (and I have said that I support his right to kneel or stand on his head or whatever he wants do to during the National National Anthem). For the record: a Cuban citizen is not allowed to  demonstrate against the Cuban flag or the National Anthem. I suggest that Mr Kaepernick do a little research before he speaks about Cuba’s educational system. Although it is true that Cuba has the lowest rate of illiteracy in Latin America, it is also true that the Cuban educational system teaches the doctrine of a one-party state, kids from Kindergarten on, are brainwashed to memorize Castro’s speeches. The medical system is not as good as some people here in America believe. I have friends that have to send medicines to their families because of the shortages in Cuba, and the lack of medicines for the Cuban people that have to wait for very long times.

But then again, Colin Kapernick is not alone. Do we all remember when Ozzie Guillen, then the manager of the Florida Marlins said about Fidel Castro, during his first season in Miami?  At that time  I defended Ozzie, who I always liked and I was called by USA Today sports reporter Jorge Ortiz, who asked me my opinion. and I told Ortiz that I agree with Ozzie’s right to say what he wants to say, but at the same time -I remember saying- It is not smart to say that in Miami, it is almost like somebody going to Harlem and saying that the KKK was not that bad.

Sports and politics sometimes mix, it is inevitable, but mostly here in the United States of America because of the abundant freedom we all enjoy, but in places like Cuba, North Korea and other totalitarian systems of government athletes are incarcerated if they speak against their government. With all the stuff Kaepernick has done and said, I (for one) would love him just to praise this country, because he can do what he has done, and never take that for granted. Somebody should tell Mr.Kaepernick that t-shirt he wore, cost more than what the average Cuban citizen makes in a month.