By: Adeeb Bayat | Writer
September 11th, 2018
On Friday, Nike debuted a new ad featuring none other than the most controversial sports player in America, Colin Kaepernick. The ad shows scenes of athletes of all types surfing, dunking a basketball, skating, and more, while Kaepernick gives a narrated speech about pushing oneself past one’s limits.
Kaepernick stirred controversy during the 2016-2017 NFL season when he refused to stand during the national anthem to protest 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 after his first act of protest. What Kaepernick didn’t know at the time was that he would be the start of a larger movement toward ending police brutality. He couldn’t have guessed that he would be kicked off his team for it, either.
Kaepernick has become a symbol for resisting the oppression of people of color, and not everyone approves. Many people view Kaepernick’s act as disrespectful to American police, along with intensifying our country’s polarization. Even President Trump has criticized Kaepernick’s actions, tweeting, “The issue of kneeling has nothing to do with race. It is about respect for our Country, Flag, and National Anthem. NFL must respect this!” Therefore, it surprised many when Nike chose to have Colin Kaepernick on the face of their new ad.
Many people felt offended by Nike’s use of such a controversial player, and began to burn their Nike gear and tweet #BoycottNike to show their anger. Nike’s sales increased over 30% from their pre-Kaepernick era, causing many to accuse Nike of purposely dividing an already divided nation for profits. Others praised Nike for being courageous enough to take such a strong position on such a polarizing issue, and began to buy more Nike gear to demonstrate their support. San Clemente senior Alex Gadea said “I wore Nike before, I’m still going to wear Nike.” Nike follows a trend of big brands taking stances on divisive political issues because, in today’s society, consumers expect the brands they shop at to respond to social issues. Senior Dodge England said “I don’t really care about the controversial ad,” echoing most students’ opinion that the ad won’t affect their view of Nike.
Thank you Adeeb, very cool!
I am very interested in this topic and I believe you did a great job presenting both sides of the issue fairly and equally. Your dedication to researching for this article is truly amazing!