Making a Big Deal Out of Nothing?
Colin Kaepernick is a controversial person in America. He has been controversial since he sat down during the national anthem at a football game, and then began to kneel for people of color who have died due to police brutality and inequality. All of the talk about him and how brave or disrespectful he is has calmed down over the last year, but it feels like we’re right back to where we were a year ago as Nike has chosen Kaepernick as the new face for their “Just Do It” campaign.
Kaepernick, along with Serena Williams and Lebron James, are the new faces of Nike’s 30th anniversary “Just Do It” campaign. Everyone seems to have their own opinion about this decision. The internet is buzzing with everyone sharing what they think about it. Famous country singer, John Rich, tweeted a picture his sound guy with the caption, “Our Soundman just cut the Nike swoosh off his socks. Former marine. Get ready @Nike multiply that by the millions.” This tweet caused an uproar. Even President Donald Trump took to Twitter to say, “Just like the NFL, whose ratings have gone WAY DOWN, Nike is getting absolutely killed with anger and boycotts.” The company’s stock prices initially went down since they released the ad, but are online sales have pushed them back up. Still, angry customers have been burning their shoes, refusing to buy Nike and, like John Rich’s soundman, cutting the iconic swoosh off their socks.
This conversation sounds like a repeat of last year when everyone was talking about if they agree with Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem, but now the conversation has switched to if they agree with Nike’s decision to make him the new face. “Nike’s decision to stand with Kaepernick is a bold decision I fully support,” senior Quinn Mcgonagle stated. “People still seem to think kneeling is a sign of disrespect to our military, but many are unaware that the position of kneeling was suggested by a veteran. Kaepernick shows bravery in his actions and I support his cause, stand for something or fall for anything,” he added.
“I think it’s a great campaign strategy for Nike that promotes free speech,” history teacher Kurt Knierim claimed. “It’s fully important. He’s taking a stand by kneeling and has had repercussions by what he says, but I respect anyone who takes a stand for what’s right.”
As well as everyone having their own personal opinion on Kaepernick, there’s also the marketing strategy to think about. “In my opinion, they’re going to lose money because rich, white males are a big part of their target market,” said senior Max Hand. “Or they are going to gain because the liberals respect him, but I can’t see that happening. I’m personally against it,” he added, “It is disrespectful to all the people that have fought for the country. He is losing a lot of money and respect.”
No matter what your opinion is on Kaepernick being the new face of Nike, it was a very bold decision by them. It rebranded them as a company. It will be interesting to see if it drops their sales, raises them, or if people just drop it in the couple of weeks for some new controversy.
Erin Hutcheson is a senior at Rocky Mountain High School. Erin enjoys hanging out with friends and watching movies. She works at Papa Murphys's and loves...
