Will Colin Kaepernick Be Named TIME’s “Person Of The Year”?

Colin Kaepernick
Colin Kaepernick. Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images.

Former San Francisco 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick was one of 10 people named as a finalist for TIME‘s “Person of the Year” Monday morning on NBC’s Today show.

Others on the list included Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins, special counsel and former FBI director Robert Mueller, and Saudia Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Speculation has been swirling the last several weeks over who the magazine will ultimately name, mostly due to President Trump’s disputed tweets on the matter. But while much of the focus has been on whether or not Trump will win it for the second year in a row, a good case could be made that the person they name will be Kaepernick.

This is total speculation, as this site has no inside knowledge of the process or of who TIME will announce. But consider the following:

— He’s set to receive Sports Illustrated‘s Muhammad Ali Legacy Award.

He was named GQ‘s “Citizen of the Year” in November.

— At their Bill of Rights dinner, the ACLU of Southern California announced Kaepernick as the winner of their Eason Monroe Courageous Advocate Award.

— The NFL and the Players Coalition came to an agreement last week “for the league and owners of teams to provide funding [$90 million] for social activism endeavors deemed important to players, particularly in African American communities”, per the Washington Post. While the deal didn’t address the anthem protests themselves, it’s a direct response to the movement Kaepernick started while still on the 49ers roster last year that spurred other players and staff around the league to join.

While not concrete evidence that he’ll win TIME‘s award, it is evidence of luck – and the tide – trending in Colin Kaepernick’s direction, whether you agree with his method of protest or not.

The magazine will announce its decision on Wednesday morning December 6th during the first hour of the Today show, and also on its website. Crown prince Mohammed bin Salman won their online reader poll.

(Originally published at American Lens)