I don't think it's ridiculous to point out that, when it comes to black people expressing concern over the way our society treats them on a systematic level, there doesn't seem to be any way that is acceptable to white America (generally speaking, obviously) and which would actually be somewhat effective. Kaepernick has gotten people otherwise inclined to avoid thinking and discussing "political" issues to think about how our country can do better in the way it treats black people. That's the first step in actually accomplishing systematic change and I, for one, praise him for his efforts. If you step back and actually listen to what he has to say, he is extremely patriotic; so patriotic, in fact, that he expects our country to live up to the ideals it is supposedly founded upon and is willing to use the platform he has, and personally sacrifice, in order to help make sure it happens.