Nike has decided to go in as being on the 'woke' side of the Colin Kaepernick/NFL battle. They are now using the former NFL quarterback as a pawn in their ad campaign to appeal to the out of touch left.
As part of the "Just Do It" 30-year anniversary campaign, Kaepernick was chosen to represent Nike.
Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything. #JustDoIt pic.twitter.com/SRWkMIDdaO
— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) September 3, 2018
Claiming that Kaepernick is "sacrificing everything" is laughable. If he had taken this stance when he still a viable option as an NFL quarterback, this would have been much closer to "sacrificing everything."
The only people who are really out there "sacrificing everything" are the military and law enforcement officers out there putting it all on the line daily so we can enjoy the lives we have. They also put it on the line so guys like Colin Kaepernick are able to make millions of dollars to play a game.
30 years ago Michael Jordan allegedly said, "Republicans buy sneakers, too." This is going to put ESPN at risk of facing the same repercussions that far left ESPN has faced. They have been forced to purge employees and their ratings have gone down the drain since they have committed to forcing their leftist view down the throats of sports fans. By siding with Colin Kaepernick, Nike has alienated themselves to many people in the Republican Party.
The funny part is, while Nike pretends to be all about "activism" and "human rights" their sneaks are made in sweatshops in the Phillippines. They are nowhere near who they are portraying themselves to be in this delusional ad campaign.
Tucker Carlson weighed in and gave his opinion on Nike using Kaepernick as its face.
.@TuckerCarlson: Colin Kaepernick sitting during the national anthem is a way of making a generalized attack against the country that makes him and Nike rich pic.twitter.com/kVU3qUrUSs
— FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) September 4, 2018
Clay Travis of Outkick the Coverage had a steaming hot take on the issue. You gotta check out what he said:
I’m not a Republican or a Democrat, but I do buy sneakers (and apparel) not just for myself but also, more importantly, for my three growing boys. Given Nike’s decision to pay millions of dollars to Colin Kaepernick, I will not spend a dollar on Nike products. Will Nike be fine without my hundreds of dollars in shoes and apparel purchases? Certainly. Are there some people who will buy more Nike shoes and apparel because of the Kaepernick deal? Certainly.
But is this decision likely to cost Nike much more than it gains the company? I believe so. In fact, I think this is likely to be the single most disastrous marketing decision in the history of sports. I think it will end up costing Nike billions of dollars in sales.
Worst of all, it’s the exact wrong message for a company to be sending to American consumers in these polarized times. I don’t want to think about politics when I buy shoes or jerseys for my kids. I don’t want every purchasing decision in my household to be a referendum on whether I agree or disagree with a company’s politics. But that’s what Nike is forcing me to do.
Maybe I have an antiquated notion here, but I believe a company should endeavor to serve every single consumer regardless of their race, gender, ethnicity, religion or politics.
Michael Jordan was right when he refused to get drawn into politics during his sports career. There’s a reason why Jordan still sold more tennis shoes in 2016 than every current NBA player combined. It’s because Republicans really do buy sneakers too and because alienating your consumer is, wait for it, an awful business strategy.
I’ve spent thousands and thousands of dollars on Nike products over the year.
But I won’t be doing it anymore.
Nike is missing the point. We don't tune into sports to see the athletes political views. Just like we don't tune into politics to hear about their views on sports. Nike is missing the mark here. One of the things that made sports great is that there are no politics involved. Now politics are massively involved in sports.
