Nike ad campaign brings Kaepernick back into political play

America Letter: Football season kicks off with more Trump commentary

Thursday was a key date in the American calendar – the start of the National Football League season.

At a packed game in Philadelphia, the Atlanta Falcons faced defending Superbowl champions the Philadelphia Eagles in the opening game of the season.

But in these highly charged political times, it seems that no part of American life is immune from politics.

American football has become embroiled in an increasingly fractious debate over race, patriotism and national identity this past year, with the National Football League (NFL) finding itself at the frontline of Donald Trump's ire on several occasions. This week the debate intensified after Nike unveiled NFL player Colin Kaepernick as the face of its 30th anniversary "Just Do It" ad campaign.

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The 30-year-old quarterback has become synonymous with an increasingly bitter controversy over the flying of the American flag at NFL games.

The protests began in 2016, when Kaepernick, then a player for the San Francisco 49ers, sat and later knelt during the national anthem, in protest at racial oppression.

The main target of the protests was the alleged targeting of African-Americans by the criminal justice system in the United States, following a series of shootings of black men by white police officers.

“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of colour,” he said, after one game. “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.”

Over the following year, the protests grew with hundreds of players “taking the knee” while the national anthem was played before games.

Race relations

The controversy sparked a national debate, with many on the right expressing outrage at what they viewed as players disrespecting the anthem, and others seeing it as players’ right to raise legitimate concerns about race relations.

Given the fact that the vast majority of American footballers are black, the debate had a strong racial component.

Given the fact that the vast majority of American footballers are black, the debate had a strong racial component

By September last year, Donald Trump had waded into the controversy. At a rally, he called on the NFL to fire players who knelt: "Get that son of a bitch off the field right now, out, he's fired. He's fired!"

While the NFL has struggled to respond to the crisis – it has now ordered players who plan to protest to stay in the dressing-room during the anthem – Kaepernick himself has struggled professionally due to the controversy.

The quarterback has been out of work for almost a year. While some clubs have said it is because his asking price is too high, Kaepernick believes he is being blackballed by the NFL system over his protest. He recently launched legal proceedings against the NFL.

This week, Kaepernick returned to the mainstream – with a splash. Nike announced on Monday that Kaepernick would lead its ad campaign. The ad shows a picture of Kaepernick beneath the words: “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.”

Burning apparel

As the NFL’s official clothing partner, Nike is taking an enormous risk by backing Kaepernick. On Tuesday, Nike’s shares fell by more than 3 per cent. During the day #NikeBoycott was trending on Twitter, with some users posting videos of burning Nike apparel.

Trump also lashed out on the social media network: “Just like the NFL, whose ratings have gone WAY DOWN, Nike is getting absolutely killed with anger and boycotts. I wonder if they had any idea that it would be this way? As far as the NFL is concerned, I just find it hard to watch, and always will, until they stand for the FLAG!”

Whether it will affect the company in the long term remains to be seen. Nike is due to post its earnings later this month, and senior executives will likely shed more light on its decision.

In the meantime, there are signs that the NFL controversy may feature as an election issue in November. Republican Senate candidate Ted Cruz, who is facing a tighter-than-expected battle with Democrat Beto O'Rourke in Texas, seized on the issue this week, highlighting his opponent's support for the protesting NFL players.

Noting that former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had lent his support to Kaepernick, he tweeted: "When a radical anti-Semite, anti-American Iranian dictator emphatically agrees with you, maybe that's a sign Beto, the NFL and Nike are all on the wrong side of the American people . . ."