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Super Bowl 2019 is one of the biggest cultural events in America and it started off with criticism levelled against the NFL - and it's got to do with Colin Kaepernick.

February is Black History Month in America and NFL decided to use footage of Dr Martin Luther King to celebrate civil rights heroes.

The NFL’s decision is awkward, people were quick to point out, because Colin Kaepernick, the man behind the ‘taking a knee’ campaign to protest brutality against black people in America, remains unsigned.

Before the coin was tossed, CBS showed a collection of photos of King and had some of his most famous speeches playing in the background.

Bernice King, the preacher’s youngest child, as well as Democrat congressman John Lewis and activist Andrew Young were honoured with the chance to join the team captains on the field. King tossed the coin to kick start the game.

But it was the NFL’s use of MLK that got lots of Kaepernick fans’ backs up

Other people refused to watch the Super Bowl in protest

And wear Kaepernick's number 7 jersey in solidarity

Kaepernick is currently a free agent who hit headlines in 2016 when it was noticed that he was sitting down during the US national anthem, which is played before the start of a game.

He explained after the game that he was protesting the treatment of black people and other ethnicities in the United States by police and the overall racial inequality in the country.

The protests continued throughout the 2016-17 season with more players taking the knee or sitting down during the anthem.

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