Current Endorsements:<\/strong> MusclePharm, MoGo Sport, Jaguar<\/p>\nCase For:<\/h3>\n You can tell from the video below as well as off the field sightings that Colin Kaepernick is in the new wave of young sneakerheads. His love of sneakers has caused his collection reach approximately 350 kicks. One of the reasons this passion became public knowledge is his meteoric rise to fame. Kaepernick replaced the injured Alex Smith in Week 10 last season, and led the 49ers to the Super Bowl gaining many fans along the way. From According to NFL.com, Kaepernick had the best selling jersey from April 1 through June 30, proving his fan base has grown to an astronomical number as they anticipate this next season. With so many people interested in the young star, and his love for kicks becoming a topic of discussion, there is no doubt eyes will pan down to see what cleats he sports on the field, and what he laces up when away from the game. \nKaepernick has made it a point to be different. He does not want to be placed in a box like other relatively square quarterbacks. His marketing strategy ensures that, as he said he would only endorse things he actually uses and\/or is interested in. For now, his Nike contract laces him with on-field apparel, but Nike now owns supplies the official uniforms of the NFL. The brand has slowly begun to give football players signature kicks. Now being a full time starter, having increased attention drawn to his sneakers and unlimited visibility, we would not be surprised if Nike signs him up as a signature athlete.<\/p>\n
Case Against:<\/h3>\n Being a part of the Nike team is great, but Nike has a large number of athletes on their roster. For instance, the majority of the NBA is signed to the brand, but only three players sport a signature shoe. True, Nike has a history of giving players, such as Michael Vick and Deion Sanders, their very own sneaker, but there has been reluctance for quite some time. Darrelle Revis and Calvin Johnson have both received off field trainers, but these two athletes have had years of excellence. Both players are arguably the best at their respective positions. Kaepernick has gained steam, but is not truly in the conversation regarding the best quarterbacks in the league. Fair or unfair, he may have a bit more to prove before a signature shoe is even a bullet point in a Nike board meeting. He faces the same deterrents as the rest of the NFL, along with not currently being the face of any notable brand. He is, however, the only athlete in the three major sports to endorse MoGo Sport flavored mouth guards. Does his acclaim garner a signature sneaker? Time will tell. It could be an uphill climb.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Robert Griffin III<\/h2>\n Shoe Company:<\/strong> adidas \nCurrent Endorsements:<\/strong> EA Sports (Cover of NCAA Football 2013), Castrol Motor Oil, Subway, adidas, Gatorade (PepsiCo), EvoShield Protective Gear, Nissan, USAA<\/p>\nCase For:<\/h3>\n It could be successfully argued that Robert Griffin, more affectionately known as RGIII, has had a two-year run unlike any NFL athlete before him. He won the Heisman and NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, but it was his presence that garnered the most praise. His stellar play aside, RGIII became one of the most marketable football players the league has seen before even taking a practice snap. His Heisman acceptance speech had companies salivating at the opportunity to make him their front man. One of those companies happened to be adidas. The 3-Stripes put RGIII at the forefront of their football sector, and the pioneer athlete also debuted their adiZero football cleats. Griffin has been on countless commercials for major companies already, so the risk taken to have him as the signature athlete for the brand is minimal. His jersey was not only the best selling of the 2012 season, but it was the best selling jersey of all time. His fans range from lifelong Redskin fans to 7-year olds pretending to be RGIII in their city league flag football games. The impressionable nature of his fan base is illustrated by the speed in which his adidas branded sock sold out. Griffin made character socks cool when he wore Superman socks, complete with a red cape, as a part of his Heisman suit and tie ensemble.<\/p>\n
Griffin has also proven successful as a track athlete. He was a world-class hurdler prior to making the correct decision of sticking strictly to football. His achievements in that realm make his endorsements of adidas’ lightweight running sneakers viable. The blend of versatility, professionalism, marketable image, and immense talent is a recipe of success. RGIII is known for making relatively secondary options relevant entities. There is no reason to think he would not be capable of selling shoes with his name on them. Consider this: adidas is the title sponsor of the vaunted 7-on-7 Football competition in Texas, where football is a religion. Texas is also RGIII’s home state. Can you imagine the buzz his sneakers would get among high school football hopefuls in one of the largest states in the country?<\/p>\n
Case Against:<\/h3>\n Along with RGII having eccentric interests outside of that of the normal athlete, he isn’t exactly known as a sneaker enthusiast. He is much more into socks than actual shoes. In this era, that could cause a possible disconnect with the sneaker community. More importantly, the same attributes that work in Griffin’s favor serve a dual role as reasons for him not to receive his own signature shoe. He is already the face of adidas Football. They have made him the visible front man for numerous campaigns. They turned a chance photo op of him celebrating touchdown after being knock on his rear into “#griffining”, complete with marketing campaign and merchandise. The brand put quotes from his timeless Heisman acceptance speech, and personal motivational axioms on socks to sell to the masses. If they are doing all of this for him, why take the unnecessary plunge of creating a brand new shoe? He has debuted two brand new cleats that went on to be successful. What is the point of him having his own shoe? Reggie Bush was supposed to take adidas Football to the next level, but it did not pan out the way they had hoped. Griffin is coming off his second knee injury. The sheer threat of catastrophic injuries is one of the main reasons brands are skeptical to sink large amounts of money into a single athlete becoming a subsidiary under their large umbrellas. Having Griffin endorse in-line products is a safer bet. Maybe it will take an elevated level of success over an extended period of time for a Robert Griffin sneaker to be on the market.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This week, we took a look at the growing population of sneakerheads in the NFL, including a Sneak Peek into the extensive sneaker collection of San Diego Chargers safety Marcus Gilchrist. Previously, we discussed the absence of signature sneakers in the NFL, but with a burgeoning sneaker culture in the league, this may change. With the increased presence of PE cleats and players starting to receive their own sneakers, it is clear that more football athletes will be in line for special projects. One could reasonably assume that a quarterback could possibly be next to receive a signature due to the position’s overwhelming popularity. Three QBs have held the \u201chighest paid in the league\u201d moniker in this offseason alone, but it is four young signal callers that have received the most press. Two of those emerging gunslingers are the Washington Redskins\u2019 Robert Griffin III, and Colin Kaepernick of the San Francisco 49ers. Though their respective paths have been a bit different, they both currently enjoy a great deal of popularity. With one being the face of a brand, and the other a known fan of sneakers, Snkrs Day examines the possibility of signature kicks for either. Take a look at the arguments for and against each player, and let us know who you think is Next in Line.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4653,"featured_media":317388,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[618],"tags":[1225462,1214750,1208882,1225736],"cultivate_rss":[],"class_list":{"2":"type-post"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Next in Line: Should Colin Kaepernick or RGIII Have A Signature Sneaker? | Snkrs Day<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n