It is amazing how controversial some things can be. Songs. Videos. Bumper stickers. Twitter. T-shirts. Hats. Yes, even hats. You know those hats that have marijuana leaves on them. Those hats that are offensive to certain groups. Those hats that have profanity on them. Now we can add hats that have NFL team logos on them. Well, certain logos.

Over the weekend, San Francisco 49ers QB, Colin Kaepernick, was photographed at a beach wearing a Miami Dolphins hat. Yep, Dolphins hats are now controversial. As I was out enjoying my nice weekend, I was totally oblivious of the backlash that was brewing in The Bay(San Francisco for those of you unfamiliar with the slang.) It was not until Kaepernick posted a picture on his Instagram account(picture is below) addressing the issue that I became aware of what was going on.

The post made me laugh. At the time I did not know when he wore the hat but I was safe to assume he had worn it and some form of the paparazzi, official or unofficial, had taken a picture of him wearing it. I was right. I was not surprised that this ruffled some fans feathers but I did not realize how “controversial” the wearing of the hat was I got my daily dosage of ESPN. Not only are there fans that are upset but apparently some analysts are as well. Really? Seriously? Are you kidding me?? Remember, this is coming from a die hard 49ers fan. I guess there is an unwritten rule somewhere that says you can not wear clothing of a team that you are not a member of. Well, within your sport. Was it the best decision by Kaepernick? The PR major in me says no. The PR major in me also says it is no big deal. Players are fans of the game as well and if they chose to wear another team’s hat, then why should we care? And dare I say it, its the Dolphins. No disrespect intended because they are a great organization. However, the Dolphins have been subpar ever since Dan Marino retired. The only exciting thing happening yearly for their organization is Mercury Morris’ yearly champagne bottle opening and soliloquy after the last undefeated NFL loses(the 1972 , which Morris was a part of, are the only team to go undefeated in the NFL).

Now, if he was wearing a hat of one of the 49ers NFC rivals, or a Baltimore Ravens hat, or a potential SuperBowl contender, then yes there would be cause for a small uprising. Although, I think Kaepernick is smart enough not to do that. Oh and remember, he’s 25. A lot of our fellow millenials love hats. They love wearing hats of different teams. It is just one of those things we like do.  Regardless, the amount of attention this story has generated is ridiculous.It. Is. Not. That. Serious. It is his money. His clothes. His prerogative. Go Kaep! Go 9ers! Go America!

P.S. These are the kinds of stories you get when you are experiencing NFL withdrawal. 58 days and counting!!

 

Until next time…TOODELLS!!