Nike's Decision To Feature Colin Kaepernick Has People Choosing Sides
“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”
By: Omar Cook
This might be one of the biggest plot twists of the year. Colin Kaepernick, who is currently suing NFL owners for allegedly conspiring to blackball him from the league, is the face of Nike's 30th anniversary campaign of their "Just Do It" motto. This is a bold statement coming from a major sports company, the same sports company that sponsors the NFL's uniforms. Sheesh.
Colin Kaepernick - Nike "Just Do It" Campaign
Kaepernick has been on the endorsement roster since 2011 but hasn't been actively used within the company in the past 2 years, so this is major unexpected news to the sports world. Nike has not shied away from taking a controversial stand in sports as it just recently supported Serena Williams and her decision to wear a black Nike catsuit despite it being officially banned from the future play at the French Open.
With today's political atmosphere, it's become increasingly difficult to keep politics out of the sports world and differences in opinions have fans choosing sides. With Nike making this bold decision to openly support Kaepernick, some consumers have begun to say that they will no longer support the brand and some have gone as far as even burning their Nike gear or cutting out logos. I mean seriously? Does it really make you that upset that a company would show their support for him? It makes you upset that a man stood up for something he believed in?
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People aren't even hiding their racism anymore. It's been 2 whole years since Kaepernick started his protests for racial injustice and people are still asking, WHY he decided to kneel during the anthem! People are still using the same played out narrative that what he is doing is disrespectful to the military. I'm convinced of 2 things; 1) That certain people really just don't care what the truth is and want to keep convincing themselves that racism doesn't exist and 2) that basic reading comprehension is not a common skill for Americans. The information about what the protests are about is out, BEEN out there. People just pick and choose what narrative fits their mindset.
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Trying to convince certain people that what Kaepernick is doing is the right thing is like talking to a wall. There are people that even try to compare him to military members by saying he isn't a true patriot because he took a knee during pregame; that real patriots are sacrificing their lives in the military and not just acting out as a "privileged" football player. These are the keyboard warriors of America. The people that would never have the courage to do what he did but have the audacity to say he isn't a true patriot. Keyword warriors, what have you done for this country that's so great? This is not 1950. Black people have a voice and whether you like it or not, it's going to be heard.
It's time for more major companies like Nike to make statements like this that push our country forward in support of justice for all. Despite these people saying they will never buy NIke again, truly I believe Nike will be ok. This is a worldwide brand that extends past racist Americans. Thank you Nike for standing up for people of color, as this is a huge step forward.
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