To the chagrin of some and the elation of others,

GQ

recently named Colin Kaepernick its “Citizen of the Year,” despite the fact that Kaepernick has not played a down of football since 2016. Kaepernick has made headlines, started a movement, and sparked intense debate by kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality and a government which he believes neither cares about him nor other people of color. Despite being a talented quarterback who led the 49ers to two NFC Championship games and one Super Bowl, Kaepernick remains unsigned. Meanwhile, DeShone Kizer, C.J. Beathard, Mitch Trubitsky, Brandon Weeden, Joe Webb, and Colt McCoy are all NFL quarterbacks and are clearly inerior ability.

While Kaepernick has had his share of ups and downs, the fact that he remains unsigned appears absurd from a football standpoint. In early August,

FiveThirtyEight

ran an analysis and determined that, “No above-average quarterback has been unemployed nearly as long as Kaepernick this offseason.” That was three months ago and

FiveThirtyEight

already claimed that the length of his free agency for a quarterback of his caliber was “practically unheard of.” Off-the-field factors indubitably have been the primary cause for Kaepernick’s lack of a contract. For one, teams do not want the distraction that Kaepernick and the press that will inevitably follow. Additionally, teams do not want to be seen as validating his antics and may even want to punish him for a display of views they disagree with. Kaepernick recently filed suit against the league and its owners for colluding to keep him out of a job.

As a sports fan, the fact that Kaepernick, whose athletic ability deserves a spot on an NFL roster, if not a starting role, remains unsigned, is disheartening. Fans and athletes love sports partially because they are understood to be a meritocracy. One’s ability to contribute to the team should be the sole determinant of whether someone makes the team and how much playing time he or she gets. Reality is never so straightforward, but, just as one should not vote for politicians based on which sports teams they support, owners and coaches should not sign and play players based on the political opinions they hold and choose to express. Whether or not one supports Kaepernick’s actions, no true sports fan should say that he deserves to remain unsigned because of his political statements. Those who claim to love the game must admit that the quality of play would be elevated were Kaepernick playing. Several teams would be better if Kaepernick were playing for them. On those grounds alone, Kaepernick should be signed. Those who disagree, do not respect sports as a meritocracy.

Unfortunately, sports have never been fully meritocratic. From the days when black athletes had to play in separate leagues until now, factors that in no way influence one’s ability to play the game have kept some unjustly out of the league. When Jackie Robinson broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier, the world of sports took a huge leap towards becoming truly meritocratic and, increasingly, sports have come to emphasize merit more and more. That said, true meritocracy is a long way off, as many of the voices who are calling for teams to sign Kaepernick were the same voices berating the league to enforce stricter punishment on Ray Rice for his domestic violence arrest. By no means do I wish to imply that Kaepernick’s political protest is at all on the same level as Rice’s beating up and dragging of his fiance out of an elevator. The logic which empowers the league and owners to punish players for matters not related to the team harms sports’ place as an insular meritocracy. I have no reservations about letting the law punish Rice and others who commit criminal acts, and, if that punishment prohibits them from playing, I have no issue. When one makes NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell or Cowboys owner Jerry Jones the enforcer of the law, however, they give these men incredible authority to abuse it. Goodell, Jones, and their ilk have massive power over matters of football, but, for the sake of the sport, these men should leave the off-the-field questions alone. Render unto Goodell that which is Goodell’s, and render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s.

Kaepernick’s unemployment is yet another reminder that the NFL is a business, and that owners have considerable autonomy over their teams. Because of this, wins and losses often take a back seat to the bottom line and the image of both the franchise and the owner. Obviously, Goodell cannot force any team to sign Kaepernick, and, for that matter, no one can. I, thus, appeal to owners to have integrity and value on-field product over selfish ends. Those of us who love the game and see sports as a rare realm of true meritocracy will respect that decision and reward you for that. When politics limits the quality of play, fans are upset and feel less inclined to watch. All we ask for, as sports fans, is for sports to be sports. Let your players do and say what they want off the field so long as it does not impact the team. Let the best players and best team win, and the league will thrive — sacrifice product for selfish political goals and it will suffer. Suck it up, NFL owners. Someone sign Kaepernick. You will thank me later.