Colin's Character

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!

Kaep, Kaep, Cap

Colin. Ohhhh, Colin. You whacky funster, you. You didn’t really think your sporting of another NFL franchise's colors was going to go unnoticed, did you?!

Please, allow me to put this into some context for you. You are the starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers. I’m going to go ahead and pause briefly to really allow that to sink in. The San Francisco 49ers. The Franchise with 5 Super Bowl rings and 6 Super Bowl appearances. I’ll ignore, for a moment, the fact that our one Super Bowl loss (yes, our) was on your watch. The Franchise that boasts the likes of Joe, Jerry, Steve, Ronnie, Brent, Kenny, Carmen, Eddie and Bill. Men who don’t even require two names when referring to them. A Franchise with more history, more winning history, than most NFL Franchises, nay, most Sports Franchises. That kind of history breeds a strong, rich fan base filled with die-hards who will gladly sacrifice themselves at the altar of the football gods for their team and its players. So, for many, seeing pictures of their franchise QB, the face of their team, rocking the “swag” of a different team (read: enemy) feels like a rather large, Benedict Arnold style, slap in the face. Quick question, did  you ever wear a Colorado State hat while you were at Nevada? UNLV? San Diego State?

Now, don’t get me wrong. I, personally, don’t actually care what you wear when you’re not on the field. I understand that the hat matched your shoes, or whatever, and I’m sure you looked fabulous. I care more about how hard you grind for the team, and how you perform when it matters. That being said, I also care about how you treat us, Niner fans, your fans. Rolling your eyes in the form of an Instagram post telling us that you don’t care what we think probably wasn’t the best way to respond. Slap in the face, #2. We are accustomed to QB geniuses like Montana and Young. Again, I’ll allow that to sink in. And while we love, respect, and are behind you 1165464343%, you’ve still got some filling out to do in those rather large shoes before you start wagging your finger at us (please see: Niners’ Super Bowl Loss), capish?!

Like it, or not, you’re in the public eye now; every thing you do and every move you make, and judging by my most recent ESPN The Mag, you like it. You are a San Francisco 49er. How cool is that?! Be one we’re proud of.

Alrighty, #7. Good talk. Kill it in camp and get our boys ready for the season. Niner Nation will be ready, tickets in hand and Niner caps on.

GO NINERS!

C

P.S. Did that Brewers hat you wore during the pre-Super Bowl ESPN interview match your shoes, too? Or was that more purposeful?