FILE - In this Sept. 6, 2018, file photo, people in New York walk past a Nike advertisement featuring former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, known for kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racial inequality. In response to Nike's support of Kaepernick, the Rhode Island town of North Smithfield is considering asking its departments to refrain from purchasing Nike products. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)
Ousted San Francisco quarterback and police brutality activist Colin Kaepernick is back in the news in the form of a Nike advertisement promoting a theme of “sacrifice” and “believing” in a worthwhile cause. This only comes after the beginning of the 2018-2019 NFL season, again spotlighting Kaepernick’s absence on the field.
After facing immediate backlash when the first protests started in the 2016 season, Kaepernick garnered support from his fellow teammates, collectively taking a knee during the National Anthem. Now, two years later, he’s back only to receive more support and even more criticism. The ad is a black and white close-up head shot of Kaepernick staring into the camera with a stern face with the phrase displayed across his face: “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.” The first thing that comes to mind is a question lined with skepticism, “What exactly has he sacrificed?”
Kaepernick became a sub-par quarterback after leading his team to a Super Bowl loss in 2013 and then became seemingly irrelevant until recent years. After that being his own noteworthy season, it was all downhill from there. Ending his season with an abysmal quarterback rating of 49.5 and then copping out to a social-justice themed Nike advertisment only make matters worse for this former football player. John Elway, general manager of the Denver Broncos even offered him a spot on his roster, but it appears that Kaepernick turned down Elway’s contract offer in 2016. He has reasons but no excuses for his unfortunate unemployment.
Nike has put the NFL in an interesting situation. Nike is the exclusive manufacturer of football jerseys and has clearly taken a different tone to the anthem protest situation than the statements and rhetoric the NFL executives and team-owners have put out. Regardless of both sides, there is a Cold War-esque feud slowly beginning to brew.
Due to the anthem protests, NFL ratings have suffered and this new PR stunt has only emboldened the NFL boycott crowd. According to Deadline.com, the Philadelphia Eagles-Atlanta Falcons kickoff game was down 13% in viewership as compared to last year. This sort of decline in the audience will only further hurt the NFL, from 16.5 down to 14.9 million, a 9.7 decrease in ratings according to Sports Illustrated.
And I for one will be remiss without one of America’s greatest entertainments but also apathetic and for good reason.
