Nike rolled out the advertising campaign for the 30th anniversary for their iconic “Just Do It” slogan. The sneaker company made a huge splash by placing Colin Kaepernick front & center of the rollout, along with the quote, “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.” No NFL teams have offered Kaepernick a contract since he last played for the San Francisco 49ers in 2016. In the wake of murders of unarmed Black people by the hands of the police, Kap helped to catalyze a movement of NFL players kneeling during the National Anthem. Colin Kaepernick is currently suing the NFL over collusion to exclude him from the league because of his protests.
Nike’s move has been controversial, with conservatives vowing to Boycott the brand using the hashtag “#BoycottNike”. One conservative cut out the Nike swooshes off his socks.
Not to be outdone one Nike protester even burned their own feet to protest Kap & Nike!
Shares in Nike Inc. fell nearly 3% in the wake of the campaign’s launch. It hasn’t been all negative! Other athletes have shown support. Most notably LeBron James reposted the ad on his Instagram. Bloomberg also reported that Nike generated $43 Million worth of buzz in less than 24 hours.
Although it may hurt the brand in the short term, we believe that Nike standing with Kaepernick & supporting the individuals protesting police brutality, will find them siding with the right side of history.
