Second thoughts

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s tattoos have been getting a lot of exposure this season, something that’s just fine with his tattoo artist, Nes Andrion.
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s tattoos have been getting a lot of exposure this season, something that’s just fine with his tattoo artist, Nes Andrion.

— QB’s tats a bargain for artist

So who is going to get the most bang for their buck Sunday when it comes to Super Bowl advertising?

PepsiCo? Anheuser-Busch?

Maybe Mercedes-Benz?

Our money is on Nes Andrion.

Andrion, 35, is the owner of Endless Ink in Reno, Nev., and he just happens to be the guy who is responsible for all those tattoos you’ll see on San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

Endless Ink has become pretty popular since Kaepernick burst onto the NFL scene and helped lead the 49ers into their Super Bowl match up against the Baltimore Ravens. Andrion said his telephone hasn’t stopped ringing, with some clients willing to wait as long as four months to use the same tattoo artist as the 49ers quarterback.

“Business has really, really picked up,” Andrion told Bloomberg News. “Doubled.”

Super Bowl advertisers will spend nearly $4 million for a 30-second spot during Sunday’s telecast, but it won’t cost Andrion anything to show off his work.

Tattoos cover most of Kaepernick’s chest, back and arms and will get about two minutes of “focus time” during the broadcast, according to Eric Wright, president of Joyce Julius & Associates, a sports advertising evaluation company based in Ann Arbor, Mich. Wright told Bloomberg News that translates into about $16 million in exposure.

“With Kaepernick’s tats expected to be front and center, his tattoo artist will certainly be a major beneficiary without having to spend a dime,” said Bob Dorfman, executive director at San Francisco-based Baker Street Advertising. “He won’t be as talked about as the marketers who score the best ads of the game, but for pure return on investment he’ll be very hard to beat.”

Andrion charges up to $120 an hour, and he first met Kaepernick when the quarterback was a freshman at the University of Nevada. Kaepernick has been going back ever since.

Still, even though Kaepernick’s success has meant more money in his pockets, Andrion admits his love for the 49ers has its limits.

“I’m a Patriots’ fan, bro,” Andrion said. “Colin knows.”

What a twit

The Miami Herald reported recently that Florida International defensive back Demarkus Perkins tried to impress a visiting recruit by taking him to a strip club.

That probably wasn’t a good idea.

Neither was Perkins’ decision to brag about it on Twitter.

“New rallying cry for letter-of intent day,” wrote Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times. “Win one for the stripper!”

Suh-nami warning

Ndamukong Suh of the Detroit Lions is scheduled to appear on a celebrity diving show, and Coach Jim Schwartz is eager to see if his 307-pound defensive lineman will make a splash.

“I did take a couple physics courses,” Schwartz told the Detroit Free Press. “There’s something about displacement of water, but it has to do with like mass and density,and Ndamukong Suh’s going to displace some.

“Even if he goes in like those Chinese divers that don’t even make a ripple, it’s going to move a lot of water. There’ll be a tsunami somewhere.”

Quote of the day

“But there’s a big barrier, a Berlin Wall barrier, between 59 and 60.” PGA Tour golfer Phil Mickelson, whose putt lipped out on his final hole Thursday in Scottsdale, Ariz., costing him a 12-under-par 59 for the opening round of the Phoenix Open.

Sports, Pages 22 on 02/01/2013

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