Kaepernick jersey sales increase
Colin Kaepernick’s decision not to stand for the national anthem apparently has made his San Francisco 49ers jersey very popular, no matter why people are buying.
The league’s 33rd best-seller on draft day in April, Kaepernick’s jersey has been the seventh best-seller in the NFL over the past week and third among quarterbacks behind only behind Cam Newton and Tom Brady, according to Dick’s Sporting Goods Jersey Report.
The 49ers backup quarterback, who wouldn’t stand for the anthem during the team’s preseason games, has cited racial injustice and police brutality among the many reasons for his protest and said he plans to continue into the regular season.
San Francisco opens the season Sept. 12 hosting the Los Angeles Rams. Dear Tim, I’ve heard all kinds of conspiracy theories. Someone suggested that the SEC killed Memphis because it didn’t want Memphis in a Power 5 conference. Someone else suggested the Big 12 didn’t want a school with such a diverse student body. Someone else suggested the Big 12 was angry at Memphis for swiping Tubby Smith away from Texas Tech. Someone else suggested Texas stepped in and stopped Memphis. Etc. Etc. Etc.
I’ll be honest. Most of those theories sound pretty kooky to me. But for the longest time, Memphis officials felt highly optimistic about their chances. Something happened in the last couple weeks to change that. Your crazy theory is as good as mine. Dear Jeff, The most frustrating thing as a Memphian is we know the potential this university has, but we have not had the proper leadership in the past 30 years to break through.I truly believe if we would have had leaders like (David) Rudd and (Tom) Bowen here in 1990 we would not be in this position. And you see what happened to Louisville when (Tom) Jurich took over as AD.
Jeff Dear Jeff, The Louisville comparison will always sting. That university, more than any other, demonstrates the path Memphis could be on today if its leadership had more vision and foresight. Louisville invested in its football program. Louisville built an on-campus stadium. Louisville is now flourishing in the ACC while Memphis is trying vainly to get out of the AAC. But I’m not sure what profit there is in dwelling on that except perhaps to inform the choices the university will make in the future. Memphis might have had an NFL team, too, had it agreed to build a new stadium during the last round of expansion. The decision to try and lure an NFL team to the Liberty Bowl was a mistake. But that mistake then motivated Memphis leadership to get behind the unpopular FedExForum project when the NBA was thinking of coming to town. That turned out just fine. Dear Geoff, Is there any hope of conference expansion in the future?
Tom Dear Tom, Of course there is. This will not be the last round of realignment. There has never yet been a last round. As Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland told me Saturday, “If we keep filling up that building for the next eight years, you think we won’t get in?” But the focus has to shift to building the program, to Memphians enjoying what they have. This year in Memphis football should be fun. This year in Memphis basketball should be interesting. Plenty of people have found plenty of enjoyment in the university’s athletic adventures over the years and Memphis has never been in a Power 5 conference. Dear Geoff, In terms of what the Big 12 does next, what should we root for?
Mike Dear Mike, Root for continued incompetence, bumbling and ridicule. Beyond that, root for the Big 12 to decide not to expand at all. That would be a fitting ending to the entire charade. Plus, it would leave Connecticut and Cincinnati on the basketball schedule, which is the best thing that could happen at this point. Dear Geoff, What did you think of the crowd at the Liberty Bowl Saturday?
Carol Dear Carol, I thought it was great. Forty-two thousand for a game against Southeast Missouri? What more could you want? There were some problems, of course, as there always seem to be at the Liberty Bowl. The power went out at the start of the second half. There were inexcusably long lines at security. That’s another reason it’s good when universities have their own, on-campus stadiums, by the way. They have both the incentive and the power to make sure everything works. But those are quibbles. The day was exactly what it was supposed to be. I loved walking down Tiger Lane, watching so many Memphians enjoying the moment and the company. That’s always been the best part of college football, even more than the games themselves, and it’s better now in Memphis than it has ever been.