Nike Makes Colin Kaepernick the Face of Their Brand. Look What Happened Immediately After.
On Monday, Nike finally unveiled who the new face of their “Just Do It” campaign — this being the 30th anniversary — and those who are fans of the NFL will, unfortunately, know this fellow quite well.
It’s none other than the most despised quarterback in recent NFL history — and we’re talking about a history that includes Tom Brady — Colin Kaepernick. Yes, that’s right, folks. The same scoundrel who started the whole “take a knee” craze in regards to protesting during the National Anthem is now the face of Nike.
Hilariously, immediately after the unveiling, Nike’s stock fell significantly.
In early trading Tuesday, Nike’s shares dropped by nearly 4 percent, “the biggest intraday slide in five months,” Bloomberg reports. “Nike shares slipped as much as 3.9 percent to $79 as of 9:31 a.m. Tuesday in New York — the biggest intraday slide in five months. They had climbed 31 percent this year through Friday’s close.”
Clearly, Nike Inc. was willing to risk the inevitable backlash, which has already begun among some sports fans — #BoycottNike and videos of fans burning Nike gear are already trending online — to promote Kaepernick’s controversial message.
“The fallout was no surprise but Nike may be betting that the upside of a Kaepernick endorsement is worth angering conservative Americans and supporters of President Donald Trump,” writes Bloomberg.
That might prove to be a bad bet, however. As Bleacher Report notes, a recent NBC News/WSJ poll found that a majority of voters (54%) thought Kaepernick’s protest movement was “inappropriate,” while just 43% said it was “appropriate.”
Advertisement - story continues belowYahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson reported Monday that despite Kaepernick having a deal with Nike since 2011, prompted by “interest from other shoe companies,” Nike worked out a new, far more extensive contract with Kaepernick. The deal is a “wide endorsement,” Robinson reported, a “star” deal, which will include royalties. The former QB will have “his own branded line,” including shoes, shirts, jerseys, and more.
Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything. #JustDoIt pic.twitter.com/SRWkMIDdaO
— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) September 3, 2018
Kaepernick infamously stated why he started the protests:
“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”
At the end of the day, this is a really bad move for Nike who depends on the dollars of average Americans, the vast majority of which, are sick and tired of every aspect of life and culture becoming politicized, especially sports.
With the NFL having suffered major losses in revenue from a lack of game attendance and viewership, you’d think the geniuses at Nike would see that Kaepernick is poison and go a different direction. This is what happens when you let politics dictate business decisions.
Guess when their profit margins drop, they’ll get the message.
Source: Daily Wire
