Former 49ers’ QB, Colin Kaepernick, is the face of Nike’s AW18 “Just Do It” campaign. And a lot of racist idiots people are freaking out about it.
As reported by Business of Fashion, the ad features a black and white close-up of Kaepernick’s face with the words “Believe in something. Even it means sacrificing everything.” laid over the top. And while the photo is intended to be inspiring, some social media users were so offended by the sentiment that they literally started lighting their personal possessions on fire.
“Following the announcement, hashtags #BoycottNike and #JustBurnIt started trending on Twitter,” and some consumers “posted photos and videos of themselves burning their Nike shoes and other gear to protest the company’s feature of the divisive figure in its 30th anniversary ad campaign.”
(The NFL hasn’t commented on the matter as of yet, though it’s hard to imagine that fun-loving bunch of owners enjoying the lionization of their current #1 foe.)
According to the story, “the backlash was no surprise [and] Nike may be betting that the upside of a Kaepernick endorsement is worth angering conservative Americans and supporters of President Donald Trump.” And besides, those fans and NFL owners can get as angry as they want: Nike has an exclusive sideline apparel and uniform contract until 2028.
This campaign is the latest in an admirable run of socially conscious efforts by the sportswear behemoth, including the Trump-trolling “Equality” collection and Pride Month-inspired “Be True” line. Now, if Nike would just clean up their unabashedly misogynistic corporate culture and criminally exploitive supply chain, they’d be aces.
You can read more about it at Business of Fashion.
