San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s high-profile protests appear to have reinvigorated the market for his jersey.
On Sunday, the backup’s No. 7 jersey was the best seller among current 49ers players in the team’s online store, jumping from the No. 6 spot, according to Marketwatch. Across the league, the jersey is now the third-most popular in the NFL’s online store, jumping 17 places from where it ranked just over a week ago, ESPN reported. Only Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott and New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.’s jerseys outsold Kaepernick’s.
Kaepernick, an active supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement, became a household name even among non-football fans late last month when he was spotted sitting while the national anthem played ahead of a preseason game against the Green Bay Packers.
“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” Kaepernick said when asked about it after the game. “There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”
Referring to police killings of mostly unarmed black men, Kaepernick’s actions angered some members of the Santa Clara, Calif., police union, who threatened to stop securing Levi’s Stadium as long as Kaepernick’s actions remained acceptable to the team. (The 49ers have remained neutral.)
Other groups, however, have lauded Kaepernick for putting social issues above football, including his teammate safety Eric Reid, who kneeled during the anthem with Kaepernick on Thursday.

