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11-30-2012, 09:09 PM | |
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Will Kaepernicks "Inked Up" look prevent him from being a marketable star?
Interesting column
http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/stor...contract-draft San Francisco’s Colin Kaepernick is going to be a big-time NFL quarterback. That must make the guys in San Quentin happy. Approximately 98.7 percent of the inmates at California’s state prison have tattoos. I don’t know that as fact, but I’ve watched enough “Lockup” to know it’s close to accurate. I’m also pretty sure less than 1.3 percent of NFL quarterbacks have tattoos. There’s a reason for that. NFL quarterback is the ultimate position of influence and responsibility. He is the CEO of a high-profile organization, and you don’t want your CEO to look like he just got paroled. Now along comes Kaepernick. Since taking over for Alex Smith two games ago, he has convinced everybody in the Bay area that he’s the second coming of Steve Young. Smith is coming back from a concussion, ushering in the attendant QB controversy. But he is looking like Wally Pipp and Kaepernick is Lou Gehrig. All I can do is look in the mirror and sigh. Forgive me, but I suffer from tattoo-ism. I sport no ink, and I don’t want any. I know that attitude qualifies me for an AARP card, and I’ve tried to get with it. I realize tattoos are ways to pay homage to your religion, children and motorcycle gang. I’m cool with LeBron James looking like an Etch A Sketch. I still cringe when I go to the gym and see middle-aged women with barbed wire circling their biceps. They have bigger arms than I, so I never make fun. But I can’t shake the notion that a person’s body is a temple, and you don’t cover temples in graffiti. For dinosaurs like me, NFL quarterbacks were our little Dutch boys. The original hero stuck his finger in the dyke to save Holland. Pro QBs were the last line of defense against the raging sea of ink. When our kids said they wanted a tattoo, we could always point to the Manning brothers. My guess is Archie would have made Peyton throw an extra 1,000 passes before dinner if he’d come home with a tattoo. The old man knew QBs are different. Did Sammy Baugh, Johnny Unitas, Doug Williams or Joe Montana have arms covered in ink? Do Tom Brady, Drew Brees or Aaron Rodgers? The world will end when Tim Tebow shows up a tattoo parlor. It’s not just a white thing, I hope. When the Panthers interviewed Cam Newton, owner Jerry Richardson popped the question. Do you have any tattoos?” he asked. “No, sir,” Newton said. “I don’t have any.” “We want to keep it that way,” Richardson said. He was OK with body art on other players, including the human canvas that is Jeremy Shockey. But Newton would be the face, arms and legs of the franchise. The boss didn’t want them covered in ink lines. “Let’s keep it that way,” he told Newton. I realize not all NFL quarterbacks are pristine. Ben Roethlisberger has a “COURAGE” tattoo on the right side of his upper body. Smith has one honoring his Serbian heritage. They can’t be seen when the players put on their uniforms. Then there are Michael Vick and Terrelle Pryor. Neither exactly fit the CEO image, unless your CEO has done a stretch in Leavenworth or has gotten Ohio State on probation over free tattoos. That’s what makes Kaepernick a threat to the stereotype. By all accounts, he’s polite, hard working, humble and has never been to prison. He sounds more like a Tebow who can throw. Not to get too far ahead of ourselves here, but it’s not hard to envision him leading the 49ers into the playoffs. If not this season, in the years to come. His ink-covered arms will one day raise the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Imagine the impact that could have. For one thing, Jerry Richardson would clutch his chest in horror. At the next Pro Bowl, you might spot Peyton by the pool with a Papa John’s logo on his ankle. Sigh again. I still think tattoo removal is going to be huge industry in the coming years. But for now, I might as well accept that Holland is probably doomed. If you can’t draw the tattoo line at NFL quarterback, you can’t draw them anywhere. |
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12-01-2012, 01:33 AM | #46 |
Bring it on Ahab!
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Yeah... no way an athlete can be a star if he's got tattoos.
Lebron who? Quarterbacks are not CEO's, they're athletes. |
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12-01-2012, 01:58 AM | #47 |
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Oddly enough, while watching Kaepernick kick ass, I didn't even notice his tattoos. And I'm an old white dude!
Seriously, nobody gives a shit. |
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12-01-2012, 06:34 AM | #48 |
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Everyone knows if you want Cassel to have an unimpeded view, you'd need to tattoo the playbook on Pioli's lower belly.
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12-01-2012, 06:40 AM | #49 |
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people still buy michael vick jerseys...so...
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12-01-2012, 11:13 AM | #50 |
THE RED MENACE
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You are hillarious.
Did the marketing guys hold back on AI or more importantly LeBron? He is an athlete and it doesn't hurt his marketing ability that much. If he were a banker would it hurt his ability to represent, you bettcha. Here is the deal though, could it have hurt his abilty to be selected to represent the franchise? Sure, tell me how many tatted up bad boys you see on the Yankees. I am sure there are other team owners that feel the same.
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12-01-2012, 11:19 AM | #51 | |
In Search of a Life
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Quote:
This is a non-issue. If you can tell me a legit sports superstar who is undermined because of tattoos, let me know. Right now, we're talking about a QB who may or may not be starting two weeks from now. |
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12-01-2012, 11:27 AM | #52 |
Rufus Dawes Jr.
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I actually thinks it will make him a bigger star
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12-01-2012, 11:30 AM | #53 |
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kids look up to this guy. this is the NBA's most marketable small market player. He has an entire city/fanbase by the balls and if he told them to go jump off a bridge to better the team they would probably listen. |
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12-01-2012, 11:44 AM | #54 |
Consuming CP souls
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Geno wore his hat backwards that one time, so I've taken him off my big board.
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12-01-2012, 11:49 AM | #55 | |
THE RED MENACE
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Quote:
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The diabolical genius of Marxism-Socialism is that it provides the emotional and intellectual road map for autocrats to persuade millions of people to support their own enslavement to government. ~Mark Levin April 15, 2019 |
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12-01-2012, 11:59 AM | #56 |
Wearing ballistic dog goggles.
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Pompadour skull tattoo on his arm but Jimbo never did no body no harm. /the Rev
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12-01-2012, 12:03 PM | #57 |
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Not in today's world.
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12-01-2012, 12:09 PM | #58 | ||
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He wins - he wins...
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12-01-2012, 01:07 PM | #59 |
Dumbass!
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Just lock him up now.
He's clearly a thug.
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12-01-2012, 01:35 PM | #60 |
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That's hometeam-style tattooing there. Gotta say, it's almost as gay as the shit Bray did.
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