Sportswriter Sally Jenkins, at the Washington Post — “Nike knows the future looks something like Colin Kaepernick”: Kicks have always been political, and Nike has always sought to capture new generations with its use of intense color. This is a company that built itself on chroma-fluorescent blues and acetate volt greens. The Colin Kaepernick campaign …
Social Marketing Open Thread: Nike for KaepernickPost + Comments (174)
Jelani Cobb, in the New Yorker:
… Improbably, Colin Kaepernick’s social stature has only grown since his departure from the N.F.L. Last year, he was named GQ’s Citizen of the Year, and, in April, he won Amnesty International’s Ambassador of Conscience Award. During a time in which he never set foot on the field, his No. 7 jersey outsold those of most active players. Last week, Kaepernick and Eric Reid, his former teammate, who participated in the initial protest with him, and who is also no longer in the league, received an ovation when they attended the U.S. Open. Serena Williams, who was playing her sister Venus at the time, said at a press conference after the game, “I think every athlete, every human, and definitely every African-American should be completely grateful and honored how Colin and Eric are doing so much more for the greater good.” Williams, a woman who has had to face racist and sexist attacks throughout her career, is also featured in the Nike campaign, as is LeBron James, the best basketball player in the world and a man whose intelligence the President of the United States has publicly insulted.
There was once a firewall that, at least in the eyes of the public, divided black athletes from the concerns of being black in the United States. That seemed to be how Michael Jordan felt, and also Charles Barkley, who, in 1993, during the siege years of crack and AIDS, said in a Nike ad that he was “not a role model.” That separation is no longer possible. The shoe burners feel that Nike has elevated a man of questionable motives and suspect patriotism. But their point is undermined by a different set of images and videos, detailing the final moments of Walter Scott, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, and the nameless others who have died in similar circumstances. Nike gambled that a greater portion of the world understands where Kaepernick is coming from. At best, giants simply live up to expectations. Heroes need only live to tell the tale.
When it came to WNBA players wanting to get a fairer share of the pie, everybody suddenly was an economist. Now with Kaepernick, everybody is suddenly a stock market analyst and went to Wharton.
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) September 4, 2018
Ford: We respect the right of NFL players to protest https://t.co/KvGNSRMnzo via @CNNMoney
— zellie (@zellieimani) September 5, 2018
So far, we’ve gotten Nike, Keurig, Harley, Levi’s, Hollywood, football and most celebrities.
They’ve landed Scott Baio and Papa Johns.
This is the best divorce mediation ever.
— The Hoarse Whisperer (@HoarseWisperer) September 6, 2018