Posted on 07/08/2019 7:58:01 AM PDT by Kaslin
Nike and Colin Kaepernick became the center of attention yet again last week after Nike withdrew an Independence Day-themed shoe called the “Air Max 1 USA," which featured the “Betsy Ross Flag” on its heel. The Nike pulled the shoe after the former NFL quarterback argued that Nike shouldn’t release a product which contained an “offensive” symbol with connections to an “era of slavery."
Like clockwork, calls to boycott Nike erupted online. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) took to Twitter to encourage others to join him and #WalkAwayFromNike, with his call retweeted over 26,000 times in 5 days.
“I love America. I stand for the anthem, respect the flag & honor the men & women who fought to defend our Nation. I respect Free Speech & I’m exerting mine: until [Nike] ends its contempt for those values, I WILL NO LONGER PURCHASE NIKE PRODUCTS. #WalkAwayFromNike RT if you agree.”
This is not the first time that Nike and Colin Kaepernick have joined forces to trigger widespread outrage. In 2018, Kaepernick was announced as the face of a Nike advertising campaign for the 30th anniversary of its “Just Do It” motto. Kaepernick had already sparked controversy as an NFL player by kneeling during the national anthem to “protest racial justice," sometimes wearing socks which depicted police officers as pigs. When posters appeared of the former quarterback’s face adorned with the words “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything." The conservative Twittersphere went into overdrive, calling for boycotts, burning Nike products, and even wearing socks with the Nike “swoosh” removed.
In both cases, the reactions to Nike and Colin Kaepernick are certainly understandable. It’s undeniably divisive to select a mediocre quarterback who slandered police officers by pushing an unsubstantiated political narrative immediately after his football career went into decline. It’s undeniably divisive to withdraw a product days before the 4th of July by applying the label of racism and slavery to the American flag used during the revolutionary wars. What conservatives must realize, however, is that - to quote Marco Rubio in 2016 - “They know exactly what they’re doing!”
Nike is a multi-billion dollar corporation with one primary goal: profit. All other considerations and concerns are secondary. With that in mind, when a company such as Nike selects a seemingly-divisive figure, we should not assume that it was a foolish, impulsive mistake. We should assume that it was the result of careful planning. When Nike doubled-down on this divisive figure by effectively attacking the American flag, it’s clear that Kaepernick’s place in Nike’s organization is far from accidental.
After their controversial selection of Kaepernick in their 2018 “Believe in Something” campaign, Nike stock “surged as much as 9.2% in early U.S. trading after its second-quarter results soared past projections”. Nike also saw financial gains after their decision to pull the “Betsy Ross” shoe. According to Business Insider, “The company's shares closed at $86.82 on Friday, up from $84.53 on July 2. The boost came one day after the company pulled its Air Max 1 Quick Strike Fourth of July.”.
The fact is Nike has identified a strategy which allows them to profit from division and controversy. Supporters of Kaepernick and his ideology will continue to buy Nike products, and critics of Kaepernick and his ideology will predictably take to social media to express their understandable outrage, causing #BoycottNike, #NoToNike, and #WalkAwayFromNike to go viral. Not only does this provide Nike with free advertising and brand recognition, but could also drive those who oppose conservatives to “fight back” by purchasing more Nike products, resulting in a cycle of profit.
Nike will only change their ideology when their profit margin is at stake. Unless we want to see this form of divisive corporate trolling to continue, conservatives need to employ a different counter-strategy and avoid falling into Nike’s trap. If conservatives see Nike’s choices as the cynical business decisions that they are, and refuse to provide them with the profitable outrage they seek, Nike will have no financial incentive to divide our society with characters such as Kaepernick.
Conservatives: when it comes to Nike, “Just Don’t Do It"
so we should not have any reaction, to these sorts of actions? We should have no reaction to a idiot saying that the original American flag is offensive to him?
Is is really bad to express disapproval of idiots such as Kaepernick and the people who run Nike obviously trying to “virtue signal”?
The totally contrived ‘controversy’ is the new advertising ploy. Same in politic.
This is just a rich bitter America hater who blames his anger on Whitey, when he should blame it on himself.
The knee thing is a thing of the past. It has been out of the news for a few years. He needs to put the spotlight back on himself, proving that he is a useless narcissistic piece of crap.
Nike is going to lose sales to Adidas, New Balance, Saucony, etc.
Boycott the swoosh
Haven’t owned a pair of Nikes since the 1980s.
And I don’t care what a used up benchwarmer QB without a job thinks.
What do we do when some advertiser pulls support from Rush or someone?
Lefties do the same.
I suspect you predicted Target would lose market share too over their bathroom policy?
They’re having a record year.
Why anyone pays 10 times what a shoe is worth is crazy and to a company that’s loooong been anti-American.
People still believe Krapper was making a statement. Geez, come on, folks, he was caught on camera years before the kneeling scandal sitting it out. The guy was/is simply lazy. That’s all it was. He was never making a statement until his buxom muzzy girlfriend came up with an excuse for him.
Nike stock still climbing, so don’t expect them to apologize.
College alumni dollars speak volumes, and many colleges and universities have exclusive contracts with Nike (and its competitors like Under Armour, Adidas, etc.), not only to outfit their intercollegiate teams, but to provide clothing and apparel to students, family, alumni, and fans through the campus bookstore. Withhold alumni dollars from your college if they contract with Nike and let them know why.
This is why I stopped buying anything associated with Nike a long time ago.
I would be surprised if they do.
A smart thing is that Target now accepts NFC payments using Apple Pay and Google Pay.
They’re having a record year.
Is it because they went back on their snowflake bathroom policy? I ask because the two Targets nearest to us have clearly labeled, separate bathrooms for men and women. Ditto for the ones I've been to in nearby states.
Keep digging the hole deeper losers
Yes. The last pair I bought was in the early 1980s. I stay away from Nike, and others are stopping purchases. I buy other brands like Puma, etc.
I have liberal friends who try to deny this. They want a video or quote of Kapernick and Nike actually doing this.
If kapearnick is their spokesman and (I was told) NIKE's stock went up when he was named so, then ...
They are all NIKAHS.
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