By now it's no mystery, Colin Kaepernick is a tattoo lover. He's gained the hearts of San Francisco 49er fans and inadvertently gave the man responsible for his tattoos national attention. We bring you the meaning behind the tattoos and how his tattoo artist will have his work on the grandest stage of American sports.
His name is Nes Andrion and he resides in Reno, Nevada. Andrion was born in the Philippines and has been receiving publicity from Kaepernick as the second-year quarterback has taken the 49ers all the way to the Super Bowl.
Last year, over 100 million people saw the Super Bowl on television. That means a lot of people will be seeing Andrion's art on Kaepernick's body. The only bad news is that, unless Kaepernick rips off his jersey and shoulder pads, the world will not have a chance to see how Andrion used Kaepernick's upper body as his canvas.
Kaepernick and Andrion have built a bond as the tattoo artist is responsible for most of the ink on the quarterback's body. Kaepernick thinks them up and Andrion sketches away. "I had him do one piece, I really liked it, and I've been going to him ever since," Kaepernick told reporters.
Tattoos carry a negative stigma. Allen Iverson popularized tattoos in the game of basketball and though heavily criticized for being a notorious bad boy on and off the court, eventually, it became the norm as a good number of ballers today have tattoos all over their arms and bodies.
For Kaepernick, all his tattoos are meaningful since he creatively promotes his religious beliefs in a modern way. He has a version of Psalm 27:3 tatted on his left shoulder. It reads, "Though an army besiege me, my heart will not be afraid." Kaepernick sticks to religion in the tattoo surrounding this one as it reads "God Will Guide Me," Andrion's favorite.
Not all of them are religious as "Against All Odds," reads across his chest.
That tattoo apparently predicted the future as he and coach Jim Harbaugh quieted a lot of critics following the role he was given as the 49ers' starting quarterback despite Alex Smith being healthy following a concussion that disabled him for one game.
Harbaugh sought this opportunity to stick in a player he chose to draft in 2011. Kaepernick closed out the season helping the 49ers capture the NFC West for the second straight year. After getting into the playoffs, he faced the Green Bay Packers and ran all over them. He then took down the Atlanta Falcons to get his team in the Super Bowl.
Kaepernick has a chance to create a trend in the NFL. He can become the first run and gun style quarterback to win a Super Bowl. Michael Vick has never won and he can pave the way for guys like Robert Griffin III, Russell Wilson and believe it or not, Ryan Fitzpatrick who depend a lot on the pistol offense.
Another trend he can start, becoming the first quarterback heavily tattooed to win a Super Bowl. Maybe from here on out quarterbacks in the league will try to decorate their arms, whether with biblical readings or personal meaningful symbols, and pick up some of the Kaepernick swag.
Look for Kaepernick to flex those goes if he gets the chance to score a touchdown. The phenomenon is known as a Kaepernicking.
Don't miss Super Bowl XLVII on Sunday as kickoff is at 6 p.m. ET. Watch Kaepernick, his tattoos and remember the man behind the art, Nes Andrion.