FILE – In this Sept. 25, 2016, file photo, San Francisco 49ers’ Colin Kaepernick kneels during the national anthem before an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, in Seattle. Kaepernick has a new deal with Nike, even though the NFL does not want him. Kaepernick’s attorney, Mark Geragos, made the announcement on Twitter, calling the former 49ers quarterback an “All American Icon” and crediting attorney Ben Meiselas for getting the deal done. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
NEW YORK (AP) – Why do it?
Nike has touched off a furor by wading into football’s national anthem debate with an ad featuring Colin Kaepernick, the former 49ers quarterback who was the first athlete to kneel during “The Star-Spangled Banner” to protest police brutality against blacks and hasn’t played a game since 2016.
The ad copy reads: “Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything.”
The ad, part of Nike’s 30th anniversary “Just Do it” campaign, has outraged many. Online, people threatened boycotts and posted videos and photos of shoes set on fire, Nike gear thrown in the trash, and swoosh logos cut out of products.
Most big corporations steer clear of politics, and marketing experts disagreed Tuesday over whether the Kaepernick campaign is good business.