More Kaepernick gear was sold last week on the team site than in the past eight months combined.
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6, Kaepernick’s jersey has become the top seller on the NFL’s online shop, according to NFL.com, jumping ahead of the jerseys of Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz and Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott.
Prior to the protest, the jersey bearing Kaepernick’s name and number had been the 20th most popular of all those belonging to 49ers players.
Regarding Trump and Clinton, Kaepernick said both “currently represent the issue that we have in the country right now. you have Hillary, who has called black teens or black kids ‘super predators.’ You have Donald Trump, who’s openly racist”. It was the sixth-best seller before the protest.
Since Kaepernick first chose to remain seated during the national anthem before a preseason game on August 26, a heated debate has grown around whether his protest is patriotic or disrespectful.
His refusal to stand for the national anthem was met with lots of criticism, but he’s also been praised for it. On Sunday night, women’s soccer player Megan Rapine, who plays for the Seattle Reign, took a knee during “The Star Spangled Banner” to show solidarity with Kaepernick, says ESPN.
News of the surge in Kaepernick’s jersey sales was met with a flurry of activity on social media. It’s more popular than Philadelphia Eagles rookie quarterback Carson Wentz, who is due to make his National Football League debut this Sunday versus the Cleveland Browns, and Ezekiel Elliott, the Dallas Cowboys’ first-year running back who’s already being touted as a possible Rookie of the Year.
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In addition to the money he will make off his jersey, Kaepernick previously pledged to donate the first $1 million he makes this year to charity. It was something small that I could do and something that I plan to keep doing in the future and hopefully spark some meaningful conversation around it.
