San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick was seen partying on July 4 wearing a Miami Dolphins hat. Naturally, Kaepernick wearing an opposing team’s hat led to scrutiny and complaints from fans.
Though most players would apologize and beg the fans for forgiveness, Kaep took a different approach. The quarterback responded to the backlash with an Instagram posting that included the photo below and this note:
“This the hat y’all mad at? I’m goin wear what I want regardless of what you think, all you need to worry about is the fact that I grind for my teammates and the 49ers! I plan on doin this until they won’t let me in the building! #ridiculous #y’allmustbebored”
Kaepernick is not the first athlete to be caught in this sort of mini-controversy. Tom Brady has ticked off Patriots fans many times with his choice of lids. Carolina Panthers defensive lineman Charles Johnson upset his fans by wearing the hat of a division rival. Even Kevin Durant has gone down this road.
As I’ve said before, many athletes view hats as accessories, but they should also be conscious of their fanbase when making such decisions. Part of being respectful to your fans is keeping their interests in mind.
Photo credit: Twitter/DolFanBandits
