Colin Kaepernick ~ are his cards destined for icon status ~ POLITICS ASIDE .... yes or no?
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At the end of the day is it worth jumping aboard the CK-train?
Colin Kaepernick ~ are his cards destined for icon status ~ POLITICS ASIDE .... yes or no?
This is a public poll: others will see what you voted for.
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Politics aside, there’s no chance. He wasn’t very good and didn’t play very long.
Politics included? It’s certainly possible.
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I mentioned "politics aside" b/c I didn't want to invite the chaos of it all...... my assumption is, however, that he would only achieve icon status thru his politics..... NOT on the field accolades....
Jack Kemp used to get some run on his RC when he was active in politics, he had a distinguished political career and was a good NFL QB. He has since passed and his cards aren't that desirable. He was not associated with anything as noteworthy as the current Black Lives Matter moment but was a Republican who ran for the presidency and had a big public name.
Kaepernick is very much associated with the current movement but he is more of a figurehead and not an engaging public figure ala public speaker. Kap probably falls in between Jack Kemp and OJ in niche/public notoriety/curiousity, look I have a card of that guy department.
Long story short his card values will almost entirely be supported by his playing career unless he gets elected President.
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How low are we lowering the icon bar?
People become famous temporarily really fast now with the interent. They fade into obscurity almost as quickly. The current climate might give his cards a boost, but long term, we are talking an avergae QB at best, no career statistics and someone that so many people despise. Seriously though, can anyone name a single player where his card was boosted by something he did off the field and it sustained it long term?
I think he will be looked at like Curt Flood someone who ultimately made a sacrifice for the good of others. History will note him more than card prices - a Flood rookie can be had for under $200 in PSA 8. However, Flood was instrumental in free agency and players getting a much larger piece the pie. Both were out of the league because of their stand. Some like me look at them in a heroic light. Others are turned off by them challenging the status quo. If the league and sponsors listened to Kaepernick he could have influenced meaningful change that would have saved lives. It seems he raised some awareness but It was not an instrument for enough change to likely have his cards valued with QBs who put up statistics over a longer career.
People were flocking to buy the Mark Jackson Hoops card with the Menendez brothers on it. Some people will literally buy ANYTHING!
Kap could have limited interest from people for his non-playing fame, but I doubt it will be widespread. The Flood example above is a good comparison. There are other people who have spikes due to fame elsewhere (multisport stars who achieve greater fame in a different sport - Russell Wilson on a BB card, Rock on a College FB card, etc). Sometimes a weird name garners some interest or an odd event or fact. MJ cards where he is wearing #45 (or #12 was it on an early Hoops card?) or the only guy with a moustache on a T206 card for example. What the hell is that all about? That is the odd and often fun thing about collectibles. Everyone can collect whatever they want and for whatever reason and still enjoy it.
No. He’s above John Carlos and Tommie Smith though. I don’t see him as much more of an icon that those and people will care even less about his cards.
Possibly. I collect Rick Monday cards for him saving the flag... I know nothing about his playing career. Only the flag clip I saw one day on ESPN and immediately looked for his rookie card
My memory was that he was an exceptional unique player for a couple years, had a bad year and was replaced. Was not just a nobody who became "famous" for his social stand against the America Flag which for him represented systemic racism, etc. but to others means quite something else
Roberto Clemente had HOF numbers when he tragically passed away in a plane crash on a mission of humanitarian aid. After that tragic off the field event, he was even more well known to the general public and has consistently maintained that high degree of respect for that off the field effort. In Puerto Rico his name is spoken in God like reverence. For myself, that effort by him elevated my respect for him as a ballplayer, and more importantly as a human being. His cards are held in consistent value and regard, and always will be.
No
Terry Bradshaw was AMAZING!!
Ignore list -Basebal21
No
i voted yes but with a HUGE but.
I think a lot of football players will kneel whenever things get going with the current state of things. this will bring a wider acceptance of what ck did. however it certainly doesn't erase all the antics he pulled after the fact. the nfl tryout crap for instance.
one important aspect of the poll that was left out is in "what time frame" does this happen. my "yes" vote is only a "yes" 50+ years from now. i sadly only know one thing about rosa parks. i wasn't alive during that time frame and i'm sure she caught a ton of crap in the initial days after her now ground breaking protest. mlk was rumored to have numerous affairs, but that's not what he is remembered for. jackie robinson certainly didn't start off with a cake walk. so, i vote yes and think "when" is a more appropriate question. it's going to take a long time for folks to forget all the antics and profiteering with nike he's done since his personal protest and quite honestly his icon status most likely won't come for another generation or two.
i still do not own a single kaepernick card and don't intend to buy any for investment purposes though.
Looking increasingly like he may play again. If he plays well it could move him into a legendary what-if category like Munson. Will definitely be pulling for him.
I don’t think people are ‘denigrating’ him. The guy had a great ‘rookie’ season spread out over two years and then the league figured him out. The 49ers and Harbaugh replaced Alex Smith, himself a #1 pick who had been to the NFC championship game the year prior, halfway through a 6-2-1 season to try to make a vanilla offense more dynamic. There were some gimmicks and a lot more QB running and it took the league by surprise and he went 5-2 and got a game further in the playoffs than they did the year before - losing in the SuperBowl. But again, this guy had stepped into a team that went to an NFC championship already the year before and was stepping into the second best team in football halfway through the season with a great running game and defense. No one was ready for him. In year two, he had his only complete great season and I still think he was catching people by surprise in that he was featured really well and despite their tremendous rushing attack, he made a lot of great throws and the playbook expanded where he was throwing more often. But when they lost in the NFC championship to the Giants, it was a step back for both him and the organization. And for a lot of reasons - injury, the team worsening, the coach losing ‘it’ but perhaps most importantly, because he began to play poorly with too many bad throws, bad reads and fumbles - he lost his job. And it’s not like he wasn’t given plenty of time.
Year by Year record and (QBR)
5-2 (71.9)
12-4 (65.7)
8-8 (60.9)
2-6 (43.4)
1-10 (49.5)
Vince Young, Marcus Mariotta, Joey Harrington and (now maybe Jamies Winston) all had similar careers. There were some solid flashes early on - for all of them - and then they petered out. And other teams saw enough film and determined ‘backup at best’ and then they were just gone and you forget they were a thing.
What makes him memorable (and at the same time, clouds memories) is he was relevant longer than he should have been. People forgot that he had two bad seasons prior to that and that he started ‘kneeling’ (quotes because at first it was sitting) right around the same time that Blaine Gabbert beat him out for the starting job in 2016.
I also think - to other football players and organization - that when you get benched as a starting QB, the unwritten rule is you publicly support the other guy so long as you are teammates and for the most part stay out of the spotlight. It’s the only way you can do it and that rule wasn’t followed, intentionally or not.
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I voted no ...but won’t be surprised if a state is named after him in 100 yr the way things are lol
This is an interesting poll and one that is obviously very timely. It has been kept non-political for the most part, though a couple of folks have tossed in some backhanded comments. I'm reminding everyone to keep this civil. The discussion can be very meaningful without injecting personal bias. Please continue along those lines as I would be disappointed to have to shut this down. Thanks and have a great weekend!
I believe his cards will achieve a high status. His career on the field was uneven at best. He may have the chance to change that, maybe even this season.
However, no one with an open mind can deny his influence on what is happening today. He brought a lot of attention to the situation and I believe he will be viewed as a pioneer of this current movement, and will be remembered as an icon.
No
I don't think so, especially in the long run. He had a good year but I don't think will be mistaken for a great quarterback.
Like mentioned above, he was instrumental in some of the viewpoints being discussed on a daily basis and largely responsible for changes being taken this season by the NFL.
That said, trading cards are mostly a record of a player's performance on the field and I believe that is how his cards will be judged in the long run.
NFL HOF Set
https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/398345
You neglected to mention a few things that will help determine if that was a good or bad start. First, he fumbled twice and lost one. The leading receiver that game was Jeremy Kerley (not terrible and better than both guys mentioned) and Shaun Draughn was given 21 carries and had 2 rushing scores. Also, Kaepernick’s lone TD came in ‘garbage’ time and was thrown with about 5 minutes to play, after Seattle had pulled their starters. Prior to that point he’d put up around 180 yds, 0 TD and a lost fumble.
Consider this as well...
...in the modern NFL, salary cap dictates that you can’t pay everyone. Most teams today seem to give a guy selected in the first two round 4-5 years to prove worthy of a long term deal. Typically that means showing continued growth and making everyone around you better (Russell Wilson, Tom Brady, Ben Roethlesberger) befor me you get the ‘big pay day’ that often crippled the ability to field a good team.
If you get paid, you’ve already won the SuperBowl. If you don’t, and opt for free agency (as is what happened), you better be sure there’s a team that wants you as their starter or be willing to make almost no money. Any team with a newly drafted quarterback is not bringing in a guy like Kap and any team with an established star can’t pay him and can’t bring him in either. I don’t recall precisely who ‘needed’ QBs headed in to the off-season before 2017 but the lost was probably pretty small.
Simply being ‘better’ than what a GM may have had at the time is both a matter of opinion (they don’t and didn’t have the three years of hindsight that we now do) and had to make financial sense. And I know that three potential landing spots for him that offseason - Philadelphia, LA Rams, Cleveland, Houston and Denver (who passed because of the potential cap hit) all chose to get a player in the draft in the next two seasons (Wentz ‘16, Goff ‘16, Cle signed RGIII, Houston trade for Brock Osweiler, drafts, instead, thought to be a good move in the wake of his solid season lost to Peyton Manning’s finale, leaving Denver to draft Paxton Lynch.
Now, I haven’t scouted every team but these are some of the landing spots where teams went with a younger, cheaper option that they could bring in to be ‘their’ guy.
This is the new NFL where you win with a QB in their rookie deal (or a QB taking less, like Ben and Brady did).
It’s a fun topic IF you keep it to the football aspect. I got no interest in talking politics on a sports forum.
Curious about the rare, mysterious and beautiful 1951 Wheaties Premium Photos?
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I’m not sure the salary demands would even matter - whether he did or didn’t have any.
Here’s an article that discusses when he left (at the time):
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/18796373/colin-kaepernick-san-francisco-49ers-opts-contract
I would need to hear the realistic landing spot. I just covered 5 potential landing spot teams and what they did.
Where else was possible?
Curious about the rare, mysterious and beautiful 1951 Wheaties Premium Photos?
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/987963/1951-wheaties-premium-photos-set-registry#latest
Here’s something to help figure out who was starting where in 2017...
(Oops, left out the link)
https://medium.com/sportsraid/ranking-all-32-quarterbacks-of-the-2017-nfl-season-a3eec30faac4
Curious about the rare, mysterious and beautiful 1951 Wheaties Premium Photos?
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/987963/1951-wheaties-premium-photos-set-registry#latest
Kaepernick's icon status (or lack thereof) is 100% dependent on politics.
Hell no!
One decent year does not an Icon make.
He is not good enough to start for most teams.
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