Nike Stands With, Kneels With Kaepernick
Nike’s most recent advertising campaign features former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick with the words “Believe in Something. Even if it means sacrificing everything,” written across his face.
Those words perfectly summarize Kaepernick’s mentality. As a free agent and former starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, he has received a lot of criticism for his decision to consistently kneel rather than stand during the national anthem that precedes each football game. Critics believe Kaepernick’s kneeling to be a gross disrespect to a ceremony meant to honor those who serve, and those who die, for the nation represented by the flag. Now, Nike’s choice to team up with Kaepernick for their latest ad campaign has sparked a firestorm of media controversy. Some customers threaten to—and actually do—cut the Nike logo off of their clothing, or refuse to buy Nike merchandise altogether.
In my opinion, these angry customers are not doing themselves or their initial goal any justice. First of all, the fact that they’re removing the Nike logo after they have already purchased from the brand is useless. Because they have already paid for that article of clothing, cutting the logo off of it has no immediate, direct effect on Nike’s sales. In addition, while Nike stock initially took a hit, the company is actually experiencing a boost in sales since releasing the ad, with stock closing at an all-time high for the company last Friday.
Apparently, critics of Kaepernick are actually generating more positive publicity for Nike, which I’m sure is the opposite of their aim. Their backlash is only inducing a reverse reaction, where their denunciation of Kaepernick’s actions is spurring more people to purchase from Nike. If they wanted a constructive way to voice their anger, they haven’t found it yet.
If critics truly want to concern themselves with showing the utmost respect for the American flag, they should first explore the many ways in which the flag’s imagery is commonly exploited, instead of targeting the first person of color they see kneeling during the national anthem. According to the U.S. Code’s Flag Code section, “The flag should never be used as wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery. It should never be festooned, drawn back, nor up, in folds, but always allowed to fall free.” It also states that “The flag should never be used for advertising purposes in any manner whatsoever.” There are egregious violations of these two rules in virtually every Walmart or Target in this country, and their sole target is to financially profit from the flag. If we truly want to defend the integrity of the Old Glory, then we have a long way to go to remove this double standard.
This is a problem with roots that run deeper than simply fighting over a sports brand. This controversy represents a fundamental divide in the mentality of America: on one side, some groups believe that Kaepernick is an unpatriotic traitor, while others think that he has the right to free expression to protest inequality, as the oppression of black people and people of color in this country has been profoundly felt for centuries.
Ultimately, Nike did a good job of shedding light on an important topic, as well as the hypocrisy of those who want a man’s entire career to be derailed due to holding firm to a political stance. If we focused our energy on improving the state of America instead of clashing over the smallest of details, maybe people wouldn’t feel the need to protest to begin with.