San Francisco 49ers: Is Colin Kaepernick Overexposed?

Colin Kaepernick at the ESPY’s – Photo courtesy of ESPN images

Over the last year, Colin Kaepernick has become the hottest name in sports. Love him or hate him, everyone knows his name and what he does. He took the NFL by storm last year with only 10 career starts. During the entire season, it seemed like the media could not keep his name out of their mouths. All of this exposure is for good reason too.

Kaepernick exploded on to the scene and led his team to the Super Bowl with very minimal experience. It appeared as if he could not be stopped and it seems like the sky is the limit for him.

But is it too much?

Since the beginning of time, star athletes have gotten endorsements, commercials, awards, movie cameos, and everything else under the sun. So it’s no surprise to see a hot, young athlete everywhere you look. Although, many might say that it is too much, too early for Colin Kaepernick. In this past year alone, Kaepernick has starred in a number of commercials, gotten endorsement deals, and he even won the ESPY for  breakthrough athlete. Doubters say that he hasn’t even started a full season yet and he’s already being crowned the king of the world. Could this all go to his head and affect his play? Definitely. Will it? Probably not.

Anyone who has followed Kaepernick throughout his short career should know how grounded he is. You might think that someone with this much press would think too highly of themselves and think they’re too good to work and study hard.

This is not the case with Kaepernick. In fact, when Ron Jaworski said Kaepernick could be one of the greatest quarterbacks ever, the 49er signal caller humbly accepted the praise.

Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Kaepernick is famous for embodying the mantra: first one to arrive, last one to leave. It has been reported many times how hard Kaepernick works to get better. After the 49ers lost the Super Bowl, Kaepernick was right back to work a week after the game.

Not only does Kaepernick work hard to better himself, he works just as hard to better his teammates. He unselfishly brought then-teammates Ricardo Lockette and A.J. Jenkins down to Atlanta to work out with him. He even went so far as to quiz Lockette while he was in the shower.

On most game days, Patrick Willis is the leader of the teams and gives the pregame speech. But recently, while Willis has been hurt, Kaepernick has taken over the role and led his team. His teammates trust Kaepernick to lead them into battle and to victory. If his teammates can trust him, why can’t everyone else?

When the 49ers lose or are struggling, you can tell that Kaepernick takes it to heart. He puts everything he has into this game and into this team. He wants to succeed, and he strives to do it. And while you can make an argument that he’s overexposed, it is safe to say that Colin Kaepernick hasn’t let it go to his head.