Nike takes a knee with kaeprnick

 Nike Takes a Knee with Kaepernick

Colin Kaepernick has faced a lot of controversy due to him kneeling during the anthem to make notice of racism in america. Many love the acts of Colin, yet a lot of fans turned on him. Kaepernick made his choice. He determined that being on the right side of history and using his platform to try to effect social change was more important to him than simply toeing the line to keep his job.

Whether you love the ad (as do many of Kaepernick’s peers and supporters, who shared the image across their social media platforms) or hate it (as do the same pre-existing outraged Kaepernick critics, many of whom now say they’re burning their Nike gear), the apparel company and former San Francisco 49ers quarterback both win.

Ideally, the ad would further fuel the conversation about the need to fix our country’s wretched problem of racial and social injustice. Ideally, people will have seen the image and recall why Kaepernick first took a knee during the playing of the national anthem before a preseason game two years ago. Ideally, there’s yet another discussion about the need to ensure the end of police brutality and the need for criminal justice reform, particularly as it pertains to black men.

Nike will continue to make money, and lots of it. The NFL and its fan base will remain divided. And Kaepernick – although he now has some new income – will remain on the outside rather than on an NFL roster. By standing firm and refusing to sway from the methods that he deemed most effective, Kaepernick did sacrifice his career in this possession. But his legacy is now cemented.