“Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything “. Nike has officially named Colin Kaepernick the face of the 30th anniversary Just Do It campaign. Kaepernick is very familiar with the term sacrifice. Kaepernick played for the San Francisco 49er’s up until 2016 when he opted out of his contract, becoming a free agent. In the same year, he started kneeling during the national anthem as a protest against police brutality and social injustice in the United States. That action has been a catalyst for politics and athletics to bump heads. Kaepernick has been criticized due to people disagreeing with where he is choosing to protest when in actuality, he is using his platform as a football player to reach viewers and get people’s attention regarding the social injustices going on in America. Since Kaepernick’s actions, professional, collegiate and even high school athletes have supported the actions of the former NFL player. With the news of Kaepernick being the face of the billion-dollar company’s new campaign, it has caused an uproar. People have been seen throwing away, cutting and even burning their Nike products. Quite a waste of apparel and footwear that could have possibly been donated to the thousands of people in need of those key items.  

 

The debate surrounding Kaepernick’s actions has been ongoing for some time now and with Nike’s decision to make him the face of the Just Do It campaign has been the icing on the cake for others. Nike has also seen an increase in sales. According to a study done by Edison Trends, the company online sales elevated 31% from Sunday, September 2nd to Tuesday, September 4th. It has shown the supporters of Kaepernick clearly outweighed the negative backlash. Although the controversy with Nike making Colin Kaepernick the face of the #JustDoIt campaign has taken a back seat, the fight for social injustices will continue.