On Saturday, we were one of the first to publish a blog on the skyrocketing sales of Colin Kaepernick’s jersey.
By Monday, No. 7 is the top selling jersey across the NFL, according the league’s official merchandise website.
“More of his gear sold in last week on the 49ers site than the past 8 months combined,” tweeted ESPN’s Darren Rovell.
One thing has become clear during this controversy: Kaepernick’s Star-Spangled Banner protest has generated an enthusiasm around the quarterback. Whether you agree with his political views or not, Kaepernick has become an iconic symbol of protest. He has pockets of the country worshipping this bold leap of faith as a civic leader. People aren’t buying Kaepernick’s jersey because he’s still a star quarterback .
It’s unclear if this spike in jersey sales is just a two-week thing or will last the entire season. The longer this protest goes on, the more other NFL players and other athletes have joined in, making it less of a a spectacle.
After much ballyhoo about whether or not he’d be cut, the 49ers held onto Kaepernick and list him as the backup quarterback behind Blaine Gabbert.
How long will that last? Our staff writer Kevin Jones wrote on Monday that Kaepernick’s window of playing time could be limited to the month of October. Keeping a third quarterback like Christian Ponder is an indication the Kaepernick experiment could be short-lived. If Kap does suffer an injury and can’t pass a physical by April 1, 2017, the 49ers will owe him $14.5 million.