This paper examines the way journalists have covered national anthem protests since Colin Kaepernick began kneeling in late 2016. It analyzes the language used to discuss the protest in order to discover how the media obscured Kaepernick’s initial intent. It then assesses the language used in discussion of subsequent protests in professional sports, concluding that writers learned how to better frame their subjects from the public’s reception to and understanding of Kaepernick. In the early days of his demonstration, stories often lacked crucial information: whether it was general context, or the approval of Green Beret Nate Boyer. The paper circles back to Kaepernick, discussing his Nike ad campaign, its media coverage, and how capitalizing on his fame obfuscated his movement forever. From this, we learn the importance of active reading and paying attention to the biases or misinformation in media coverage.