Why I will never buy Nike again
September 12, 2018
On September 1st, 2016, professional quarterback Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the 49ers final preseason game of the season to highlight social and racial injustice in the United States.
A little more than 2 years later, Nike made the disastrous decision of naming Colin Kaepernick the face of the new “#JustDoIt” campaign.
Since 2016, Kaepernick’s movement has spread and has gained more traction throughout the past two NFL seasons. In 2017, the protests spread and whole teams began to participate in the anthem demonstrations.
The decision’ of these players came into question very early into Donald Trump’s presidency and Trump has always found himself in the forefront of the debate and has since been the most prominent advocate against the demonstrations, of course, backing our nation’s military.
On many occasions, Trump has called the protests “a terrible message” and said, “it’s a message that shouldn’t be sent.”
Since naming Kaepernick as the face of the campaign, Nike has been at the spearhead of backlash. According to the New York Post, Nike’s stock has plummeted nearly 10% and the company has received a tremendous amount of reprisal for supporting Kaepernick.
Rightfully so.
Colin Kaepernick has made a name for himself by kneeling during the national anthem. I feel as if Kaepernick has successfully disrespected the millions of men and women serving, and those who have served, our country.
So why should a professional athlete, who once competed at the highest level of the most prestigious football league in the world, be paid a million dollars because he became relevant “fighting black oppression?”
That doesn’t sound very oppressed to me. To play in the Super Bowl, let alone play in the NFL, sounds like a dream not many people get to live out. It sounds like he’s just using his enhanced platform to speak out.
The company’s campaign tagline for Kaepernick is: “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.”
Sacrificing everything? Obviously what Nike means by saying “sacrificing everything” is to sacrifice the 3 billion dollars they lost because of the partnership. So i’m not alone in my opinion.
No more than a week ago, I had no problem with Nike. They were a capitalist monopoly who earned their way up in America with hard work and smart business decisions. Last Monday, Nike threw that ideology out the window.
As an American who believes in respectig the military, there’s no way that I can stand by a decision like this.
Colin Kaepernick is a former NFL player, who made millions of dollars, disrespected the military of our great nation, and is battling his “oppression.” Tell me how that makes any sense.
For such a successful american company like Nike to partner with such a public figure, who disrespected millions of our military servicemen and women, only makes me believe Nike is completely fine with these actions.
That’s where I draw the line. As an American company, you have a set of rules that should go without saying. Without the arms of the US military, Nike wouldn’t be the company they are today. Nike completely ignored that when they partnered with Kaepernick.
That being said, effective September 10th, 2018, I will no longer buy another Nike product for the rest of my life. Way to go, Nike.
Mr me • Dec 26, 2019 at 10:54 PM
I will never buy another Nike product again! Consider this my reaction!
Neil Gelinas • Jul 3, 2019 at 8:18 PM
I will never purchase Nike products again! Social injustice may be real but discracing the Nation is just as bad in my eyes.
Sick of it all • Dec 7, 2018 at 7:38 AM
Racial injustice happens every day to people of all races and you don’t see them taking a knee against the National Anthem, which honors America and our military. Why is it, only black people can complain about racism. I am white and experience it daily at work, so people need to get over themselves and act like adults. Respect is the only way this world is going to work.
Jack • Sep 15, 2018 at 12:15 AM
I will never purchase another Nike product again…. ever!! very Anti-American company and I will make sure my Family does the same!
Mike Latham • Sep 13, 2018 at 2:08 PM
Mr. Frick,
Without being argumentative, but to dispute the premise of your belief that the NFL players, and Colin Kaepernick in particular, resorted to kneeling pre-game to demonstrate against the flag, the anthem, or the military must in fact be corrected by truths. It has been by all accounts of the narrative of all athletes that have aligned themselves with this movement a clarion call against racial injustices, police inequalities and abuses, and inhumane treatment to minority segments of our society. A measure of a man’s oppression cannot be relegated on a graph next to the number of dollars he owns or the wealth he possesses. Being classified as a second class citizen cannot be assuaged by the accumulation of wealth or status in society. Otherwise such incidents like the killing of the young Black man in his OWN apartment in Texas a few days ago or the loss of life at policemen/women’s hands would not be so frequently occurring. I have been fortunate enough to have known several Black professional athletes who each can sadly recount instances of racial discrimination where their lack of immediate identification or the amount of their lucrative contracts didn’t spare them the pains of racial injustices. In closing, I would like to add as of today, September 13, the sale of Nike products have increased by 31%.
Michael Skala • Sep 13, 2018 at 11:06 AM
I agree with you’re article to the point where you said” Nike has done it with hard work”. The question is Who’s doing the hard work? There is child labor younger than that child w/ pioneer press shirt on in.stiching these shoes together for pennies & then ship back to the states ? Where our children are buying them for $150.00 a pair or more! Nike opened up this can of worms. Wonder why people wanna fix NAFTA. Kids shouldn’t be supporting their families at seven years young! Thanks, Mike