Nike Stands by Colin Kaepernick
On September 5, Nike dropped a new ad for their “Dream Crazy” campaign. The ad highlights a number of well known athletes such as Lebron James, Serena Williams, the U.S. women’s national soccer team, Alphonso Davies, a Liberian refugee from Ghana, now in Canada, who made history as the youngest player to ever play for the Canadian men’s national soccer team, as well as many other athletes. It is filled with clips of inspirational athletes working incredibly hard, overcoming their backgrounds and situations, and chasing after their dreams.
Colin Kaepernick is another athlete featured in the ad. Kaepernick, a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, first sparked a wave of controversy when he was spotted sitting down during the playing of the American anthem during a preseason game. In an interview, Kaepernick stated that he was not going to “stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” referring to the police brutality that led to the Black Lives Matter movement.
In later games, Kaepernick began kneeling during the anthem instead of sitting in order to show more respect to current and former military members. He has also continued his cause by donating continuously to organizations who address social and racial inequality and launching “Know Your Rights” camps for young people of color.
Despite this, Kaepernick still became a highly polarizing figure, sparking a wave of controversy.
In September 2017, Donald Trump released a series of tweets and statements condemning NFL athletes and calling for those to who participated in anthem protests to be fired. Trump’s response to Kaepernick’s protests resulted in many other NFL players and athletes from other sports joining in on the protests, but Trump and Mike Pence continued to condemn those protesting.
Kaepernick’s desire to bring attention to the police brutality and racial inequality took an immense amount of bravery and required a large sacrifice. Along with being targeted and called names, Kaepernick also received many death threats due to his actions. Soon Kaepernick departed from the 49ers, but despite being a capable, competitive quarterback, he has remained unemployed for an unusual amount of time, putting his career as an athlete on halt. In November 2017, he filed a grievance that NFL owners were colluding to keep him out of the league, and as of August 2018, it was announced that evidence was sufficient enough to proceed to court.
Instead of severing their contract with Kaepernick, Nike instead decided to use Kaepernick as the face of their “Dream Crazy” campaign. In the ad, Kaepernick serves as narrator, solely voicing over the visuals, until he is finally shown midway through. He stands facing a waving American flag projected on a building and narrates, “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.”
The ad received a large reaction on Twitter. Many voiced their dissent, including Trump, who tweeted: “What was Nike thinking?” the morning after the ad was released. Others were very angered and responded by calling for boycotts on Nike and posting pictures and videos of themselves burning and cutting up Nike gear.
Interim USA Gymnastics president and CEO, Mary Bono, posted a photo of her blocking out the Nike logo on her golf shoes, however, gymnast Simone Biles quickly responded by criticizing her actions.
Other athletes also spoke out in favor of Kaepernick and Nike’s ad. Serena Williams was one of them, who praised the company’s decision to partner with Kaepernick. “I think every athlete, every human, and definitely every African-American should be completely grateful and honoured how Colin and Eric [Reid] are doing so much more for the greater good, so to say,” Williams said.
Support was also seen from 31% increase in Nike sales after the Kaepernick ad was unveiled, and the Kaepernick t-shirt from Nike, which sold out just hours after it released.
Despite the sacrifices Kaepernick made in regards to his career and the public opinion of himself, his bravery to speak up for what is right and what needs to be changed has earned him a legion of fans and respect and attention to what he’s been fighting for, attesting to the importance of speaking up for what you believe in and doing whatever it takes to get your message out there.
by ISHIKA JHA