Nike is the biggest sports apparel company in the country.
It did not enter into its partnership with Colin Kaepernick as the spokesman of the 30th anniversary of the famous "Just Do It" campaign without a lot of research - an appreciating that all publicity is good publicity.
The company was aware of the potential backlash, whether executives expected the stock to drop billions or not is another matter. (Side note: The various spin-off images of the ad, which debuted during the NFL's regular-season opener Thursday night, have ranged from mean to hilarious. One of them: "R.I.P. Nike, Jan. 25, 1964-Sept. 6, 2018 Died of Colin Cancer.")
Nike will be fine. In fact, the long-term narrative may even spin positive. In some ways, it feels like a social justice warrior move for a company that is loosely interested in social justice in an effort to move products to folks who act like they hate the capitalistic man.
But there is no debating the fact that the NFL is feeling the effects of Kaepernick's national anthem protests.
Thursday's opener between the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia and Atlanta - two of the nation's top-10 Neilsen biggest cities in the country - was down almost 25 percent from the 2015 opener, which was the last Thursday night debut before Kaepernick became a household name.
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Speaking of that
While we are here, The College of the Ozarks, a small Christian university south of Branson, Mo., has informed Nike it will no longer wear the Swoosh.
The details include the school president saying that Nike is "promoting an attitude of division and disrespect toward America."
We all know someone who has turned off the NFL because of the protests.
But now that Nike has backed Kaepernick, I wonder how many of the folks who elected to turn the channel on the NFL on Sunday will have a similar view on major SEC programs such as Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama, each of whom cash big Nike checks every year to outfit the Vols, Dogs and Tide teams.
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Boy o' Boycotts
Anyone else tired of the boycott?
According to Timothy Werner, an assistant professor at the University of Texas, "Between 1990 and 2007, only 213 boycotts were mentioned in the six largest U.S. newspapers; by contrast, in the 200 or so days of its existence, the anti-Trump #GrabYourWallet campaign alone has launched boycotts against over 50 companies."
Yes, some of the great changes in America have come from protests. From that famous Tea Party in Boston to the fights for civil rights in the 1960s, meaningful protests have led to meaningful change.
But more and more meaningless protests take attention and meaning from the real issues and impactful protests.
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Wild idea
There are a slew of great golfing options in our neck of the woods.
There are just as many great causes and fundraisers, but this one is a little different.
Matthew Wild died unexpectedly three years ago next month. He went to Red Bank High School and UTC and was a rising executive at Coyote Logistics. He left behind now-6-year-old daughter Alizay and his wife, Jennifer, as well as a slew of friends and family who miss him daily.
The Wild family is trying to make the best of the tragedy and Matthew's memory with The Big Cat Open, a golf tournament later this month at Valleybrook.
This is the third year of the BC Open; the first two events raised thousands of dollars for a scholarship fund and generated more than $8,500 toward new playground equipment at Alpine Crest Elementary.
This year, the Sept. 20 event is planning on splitting its proceeds between the Hixson High baseball team - Matthew's little brother A.J. is on the team - and the eternal good works of the local Make-A-Wish folks. If you are interested in sponsoring or playing, contact Mike Wild at bigcatopen@gmail.com.
Enjoy the weekend, friends.
Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com and 423-757-6343.