There’s been an ongoing battle going on in social media for the year or so over the meaning of Colin Kaepernick’s kneeling during the national anthem to protest police violence against black men and the fact that he has not been able to land a job as a quarterback for any NFL team.
Today, athletic shoe, apparel and equipment maker Nike launched their fall 2018 campaign featuring Kaepernick as the face of the company.
Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything. #JustDoIt pic.twitter.com/SRWkMIDdaO
— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) September 3, 2018
As expected, this has set off a flurry of people tweeting about how it will destroy Nike, how it shows how brave Nike is, how it shows… Here’s a sampling of what’s being said:
From Politico writer Michael Kruse:
Sports are politics. Always have been. https://t.co/ijWmLN8vMR
— Michael Kruse (@michaelkruse) September 3, 2018
Radio host and online personality Clay Travis, who loves mocking what he calls the dysfunctional liberal agenda of ESPN and other sports media, was predictably excited on how this campaign would help his conservative sports media brand:
This is also why having people with different opinions in your board room matters more than having people who look different, but all think the same. This will be a PR disaster for Nike. Insanely dumb.
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) September 3, 2018
I'd also like to thank @nike for ensuring my new book, "Republicans Buy Sneakers Too," has the perfect title and book cover. It's like Nike PR is trying to make me rich(er). Absolutely fabulous. https://t.co/ud4qRCuVYY
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) September 3, 2018
There’s also a host of profane posts from Travis you can check out if you are interested.
From conservative writer Ben Shapiro:
Name the thing he sacrificed. He was benched before he protested. He’s become far more celebrated and famous than his performance would justify. Now he’s got a lucrative ad contract. Ali sacrificed something. Kaepernick didn’t. https://t.co/cvnNAgiG9K
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) September 3, 2018
Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and immigrants rights activist Jose Antonio Vargas wrote:
Great choice, @Nike! We stand with you, @Kaepernick7! #JustDoIt https://t.co/nj4zNN2mCN
— Jose Antonio Vargas (@joseiswriting) September 3, 2018
And perhaps my favorite response from the political twittering class:
1) I could not care less about Kaepernick, kneeling, or the NFL.
2) $50 says by noon Trump calls for an FTC investigation or Nike boycott. https://t.co/3qI7pAOj2e
— Liz Mair (@LizMair) September 3, 2018
In the end, however, I think that ESPN The Magazine journalist Mina Kimes raised the most interesting points:
it's a powerful ad. so was the serena one. this is a corporation that was recently hit with a class action suit for gender discrimination. all of this matters. https://t.co/rP8ovQy6tw
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) September 3, 2018
here's what I find interesting: Nike knows its customers. The NFL ostensibly knows its fans. If we assume both companies are acting in their own self interest (as companies do)….is the demographic gap that wide? or are they making different bets?
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) September 3, 2018