An extremely powerful move by Nike.
Colin Kaepernick is one of the most polarising men in sport.
He is an NFL player, who chose to kneel during the national anthem in protest against police brutality.
It is commonly perceived that Kaepernick was protesting against the anthem itself, but in an interview with NFL Media two years ago Kaepernick clarified:
“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of colour
“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.”
A number of people claim that what he is doing is unpatriotic, to the point that he is currently without a club in the NFL.
The controversy attached to Kaepernick will not be going away any time soon, following the news that Nike have made them the face of what might be one of their biggest campaigns of all time.
The image was unveiled, accompanied by the caption: “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.”
Extremely powerful stuff.
Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything. #JustDoIt pic.twitter.com/SRWkMIDdaO
— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) September 3, 2018
The decision to give Kaepernick such a huge platform will be seen as extremely positive by many, but will certainly cause outrage as well.
A recent poll from NBC News showed that 54% of those asked deemed kneeling during the anthem “inappropriate.”
