As a society, we are so much more comfortable when people,
places and things fit in their designated roles. Summer is supposed to be warm,
winter is supposed to be cold. Rabbits are supposed to be fast, turtles are
supposed to be slow. Boys are supposed to like sports, girls are supposed to
like fashion. Cartoon heroes are supposed to be good looking and have good
hair, cartoon villains are supposed to be scary looking and have horns or
something. “Good guy” athletes are supposed to be clean cut and say all of the
right things, “bad guy” athletes are supposed to be those with a lot of tattoos
and big egos. Don’t ask, don’t question, that’s just how it is. Period. Except
when it’s not.
Colin Kaepernick, the starting quarterback for the San
Francisco 49ers is a “bad guy athlete” straight out of central casting. He only
speaks to the media when he absolutely has to, and even then he never says
much. He is unwaveringly confident in his abilities as an elite NFL
quarterback. He has tattoos covering his body. He parties, has dated multiple
women, and likes to post pictures of himself, and his abs, on social media. I
shudder at the thought of the horrible person he must be even typing these
words. Except- he prefers to let his performance speak for him. His confidence
is what helped him get to the NFL and helps make him an elite quarterback (one
who has lead his team to two straight NFC Championship Games in as many seasons
as starting QB). He is a man of Faith and his tattoos are an outward
representation of that. He is a single, 26 year old man, who is living his
personal life similarly to most other single, 26 year old men (key word being
personal). Our collective disapproval of Kaepernick and his choices don’t make
him a bad guy. In fact, if we took a closer look, I think we’d find that the
exact opposite is true.
Now, please don’t get me wrong, there is plenty about Colin
that I don’t like. His inability to read a progression, his habit of throwing
fade route passes a couple yards too short and a couple feet too low (one, in
particular, comes to mind immediately), his penchant for wearing the colors of
other NFL teams. It’s all absolutely maddening. None of it, however, changes
his work ethic, or his skills, or his character.
We don’t have to like Kap, or agree with his personal
choices, or even root for him or his team, but we do owe him our respect. Let’s
remember that before we gang up on him, or any other, assuming guilt in very
serious accusations simply based on how we’ve typecast them. It would all fit
so much more easily if CK7 were just another punk kid, but that simply doesn’t make
it so.
C
P.S.- Go Niners!