Nike defies Trump’s ire by embracing NFL’s kneeling Colin Kaepernick, new face of ‘Just Do It’ campaign
‘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’
Nike Inc has chosen Colin Kaepernick, the first NFL player to kneel during the national anthem as a protest against racism, as one of the faces for advertisements commemorating the 30th anniversary of its “Just Do It” slogan, risking the ire of US President Donald Trump.
“Colin has been a Nike athlete since 2011,” Nike spokeswoman Sandra Carreon-John said on Monday. “Colin is one of a number of athletes being featured as part of our 30th anniversary of Just Do It.”
She said Nike unveiled the campaign last week by releasing a film featuring Serena Williams entitled “Voice of Belief.”
The former NFL quarterback posted a black-and-white close-up of himself on Instagram and Twitter on Monday featuring the Nike logo and “Just do it” slogan along with the quote, “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.”
“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,” said Gino Fisanotti, a Nike vice-president of brand for North America, according to a story by ESPN story, which first reported Nike’s decision to use Kaepernick as part of the ad campaign.
Kaepernick was a quarterback with the San Francisco 49ers for six years. He stirred a national controversy by taking a knee while the anthem was played before games during the National Football League’s 2016 season to draw attention to police killings of black men and other issues.
The anthem protests, soon embraced by other players, raised the ire of some NFL fans and Trump, who has said he would love to see NFL owners fire football players who disrespect the American flag.
Kaepernick and another former 49ers player, Eric Reid, have not been signed by any of the NFL’s 32 teams since their protests spread around the league. Both have filed collusion grievances against NFL owners.
On Thursday, arbitrator Stephen Burbank denied the league’s request to dismiss the case, which means he found sufficient evidence for the case to continue and perhaps go to trial.
News of Nike’s ad campaign broke just days before the first game of the NFL season on Thursday, when the controversy over pre-game protests could flare anew.
“Nike has always been and will continue to be my family’s favourite shoe,” wrote Twitter user @TheDionneMama.
But other reaction on Twitter was negative. “Time to throw away all my Nike crap,” wrote @SportDuh 17.
Kaepernick received an enthusiastic welcome from fans at the US Open’s showcase tennis match between Serena and Venus Williams on Friday night when he was shown raising his fist on the big screen.
