Thursday night, Nike launched its new ad during a nationally televised NFL game on NBC. The ad featured many well-known athletes, such as Colin Kaepernick. After the release of this ad showing Kaepernick in the end, many people began to boycott Nike. The backlash of Kaepernick being the face of Nike’s new ad campaign has gone as far as causing a store in Colorado to begin removing all Nike merchandise. There even were videos of Nike’s shoes and socks being burned. Boycotting Nike began to trend on social media and to no surprise, President Trump tweeted “What was Nike thinking?”. Nike responded with a video showing how to safely burn their items as a response to the boycott. Talk about a brilliant clapback.
So who is Collin Kaepernick?
Collin Kaepernick is a former football quarterback for the 49ers. He has been a free agent since March 2017 and has received multiple death threats and hatred since becoming the first NFL player to protest police brutality and racial injustice. This all began when he took a knee during the national anthem during the pregame renditions. This angered many, such as Trump, since they saw it as disrespecting the national anthem. Kaepernick knew his voice and used it to stand by what he believed in. He is seen as an activist for the African American community, despite it costing him so much. Nike’s vice president, Gino Fisanotti, commented to ESPN, “We believe Colin is one of the most inspirational athletes of this generation, who has leveraged the power of sport to help move the world forward.” Trump pointed out how NFL views have dropped since Kaepernick’s “cultural showdown” during the National Anthem. Since this revelation, Kaepernick accused team owners of conspiring to blacklist him in the NFL because of his refusal to keep quiet on his activism and stand for the national anthem. His loyalty to the cause has served him well despite the backlash received, as Nike has signed him on for their new campaign, set to run until 2028.
“If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.”
Sources:
The Washington Post
The Hill
Link to Nike Ad video: <iframe width="700" height="394" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-grjIUWKoBA" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
