Colin Kaepernick Added to Madden ’21, And He Somehow Plays Better Than Most Current NFL QBs
As many gamers are now aware, former NFL quarterback and current activist Colin Kaepernick is now available as a playable quarterback in EA’s Madden 21. They might be surprised to see, however, that taking three seasons off has made his video game skills better than his physical skills ever were.
The move to add Kaepernick to Madden 21 is EA’s attempt to capitalize on the social justice movement sweeping through the NFL and professional sports, which has suddenly made Kaepernick’s National Anthem protests acceptable to some.
Despite being out of the league since the end of the 2016 season, EA has actually raised his player rating since the last time he was featured in the game. In Madden 17, Kaepernick had a skills rating of 74 out of 100. That was the same year he was benched for poor play and replaced by Blaine Gabbert. His rating for the 2020 season, after three years out of the game, is 81.
His ranking makes him the 15th best quarterback in the game, ahead of 96 other current NFL quarterbacks featured in the game and well ahead of many All-Pro quarterbacks. He currently ranks ahead of Ryan Tannehill (80), Cam Newton (78), Baker Mayfield (78), Kyler Murray (77), Jared Goff (76), Joe Burrow (76) and Teddy Bridgewater (75).
In Madden 21, Kaepernick currently holds a rating equal to Ben Roethlisberger, a two-time Super Bowl champion and six-time Pro Bowler who led the NFL in passing yards in 2018. Among the handful of quarterbacks who rate better than Kaepernick are Patrick Mahomes (99), Russell Wilson (97), Drew Brees (93), Tom Brady (90), Aaron Rodgers (89), Dak Prescott (84), and Philip Rivers (82).
In 2013, Kaepernick hit his highest rating of 89. In later seasons, however, his skills diminished considerably, and his rating declined with it. Until now.
Despite his inability to get a job with an NFL team, EA Sports, creators of Madden 21, explained his inclusion in a press release as “one of the top free agents in football and a starting-caliber quarterback. The team at EA SPORTS, along with millions of Madden NFL fans, want to see him back in our game.”
EA said they wanted the game to be “a place that reflects Colin’s position and talent, rates him as a starting QB, and empowers our fans to express their hopes for the future of football.”
EA also claims that Kaepernick’s decision to protest the National Anthem was actually against “systemic oppression, racism, police terrorism and injustice.”
In recent years, Kaepernick has claimed that his kneeling protests were never meant as an insult to the Anthem, the American flag, or the military. He claimed that it was only meant to bring attention to the racial situation in the country, which had seen unrest during the Obama presidency. However, he said something different when he started his protests in 2016.
In an August 2016 interview with NFL.com, Kaepernick said kneeling was a direct challenge to the American flag and the country. “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” he told Steve Wyche in an interview.
After Kaepernick left football, EA Sports stirred controversy when it edited two songs in the 2017 and 2018 game to remove mentions of his name. After some push-back from Kaepernick supporters, EA apologized and fixed the edits.
This past summer, EA Sports approached Kaepernick in secret to discuss the possibility of including him in this year’s game. Kaepernick agreed, but insisted that his in-game player likeness have an Afro. He also insisted that his “signature celebration,” when his player scored, would be that he raises a “Black Power” fist, which he did during his last season in 2016.
Gamers are mocking Kaepernick’s inclusion as a publicity stunt. Others had a field day at Kaepernick’s expense.
Ben Shapiro even got in on the action.
Fans are roasting the game in reviews.
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