“Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything.”
This statement graced the latest campaign from Nike featuring the free-agent NFL quarterback and civil rights activist Colin Kaepernick. Kaepernick teamed up with billion dollar corporation Nike as the face of the company’s “Just Do It” ad campaign.
In 2016, Kaepernick began sitting down for the National Anthem before games in protest of police brutality.
“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” Kaepernick said in an interview with NFL media after a preseason game two years ago. “To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”
A crowd of people felt Kaepernick’s refusal to stand for the National Anthem was disrespectful to the flag and the military, sparking a nationwide debate.
Now, as the face of Nike’s 30th anniversary “Just Do It” campaign, there has been an outcry from people who were against Kaepernick’s actions. Some are going as far as cutting the swoosh off of the side of their socks or even burning their pairs of shoes.
Senior Sean Foye is one student against Kaepernick’s protests.
“I, personally, will never buy a Nike product again,” Foye said. “I’m still not sure how kneeling and disrespecting our country is a brave thing. It’s un-American and it disgusts me.”
Senior Zizzy Newell doesn’t think Nike should be spreading Kaepernick’s message.
“I believe that Nike paying Chinese workers 20 cents an hour for 80 hours a week for someone to talk about injustice, is injustice,” Newell said.
Meanwhile, senior football player Cordell Rone was a fan of what Nike did.
“When I first saw the commercial, I thought it was very inspiring,” Rone said. “Especially because being a black man in America is hard, so I thought it was inspiring to other black athletes to be bigger than their sport. Some of his reputation has been hurt by the kneeling and protesting, but I think they made the right decision to try and send a message.”
On the day the advertisement released, the company’s stock prices dropped. But a recent report from the New York Post says Nike has sold 61 percent more merchandise since the release.
Kaepernick became a free agent after the 2016 season and has yet to be signed by any NFL team.
— By Jeffrey Marcin
