Tuesday, September 4, 2018

The Vindication Of Colin Kaepernick



Colin Kaepernick is someone I admire. As previously noted in this blog, the former NFL player, whose decision to protest police brutality against blacks by taking a knee during the American national anthem, has paid dearly for his integrity. But vindication has finally arrived, vindication sure to end Donald Trump into new paroxysms of outrage:
Last week, an arbitrator ruled that Colin Kaepernick’s collusion grievance against the NFL can go forward. This week, Nike unveiled a new ad campaign starring the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback, who rose to prominence in 2016 when he began kneeling during the national anthem to protest police violence against black Americans.
Given that Nike is the official uniform supplier for the NFL, this move is not without risk, but one the company believes is worth taking. And the backlash has already started. Take a look at the Twitter hashtag #JustBurnIt or #BoycottNike for some examples:

FVCK U NIKE THIS IS FOR SUPPORTING A MAN THAT DISRESPECTS OUR MEN IN BLUE #JustDolt #JustBurnIt



Ripping my Nike Air Max to own the libs #BoycottNike


Bloomberg News reports:
Nike shares slipped as much as 3.9 percent to $79 as of 9:31 a.m. Tuesday in New York -- the biggest intraday slide in five months.
They had climbed 31 percent this year through Friday’s close.
The fallout was no surprise but Nike may be betting that the upside of a Kaepernick endorsement is worth angering conservative Americans and supporters of President Donald Trump.
To its credit, this is not the first time Nike has waded into controversial waters:
Just a few weeks after Trump’s inauguration last year, the company launched a high-profile “Equality” campaign featuring LeBron James and Serena Williams. The campaign’s ambassadors included Ibtihaj Muhammad, a Muslim American fencer who wears a hijab when competing, and transgender triathlete Chris Mosier.
Now, all of this, of course, is about market share, but it is nonetheless refreshing to see a company taking a calculated risk while so many in Trump's America seem so keen on hewing to a very conservative, even reactionary, line.

And of course, for students of human nature, the reactions to this campaign constitute a fascinating Rorschach test, yet another conduit into the tortured and fractured American psyche.

Not to mention another dog whistle for the increasingly beleaguered Trump to blow.

10 comments:

  1. Another day, another example of the degeneration of civil society in the United States of America. At times it appears that half of the population is turning feral. Can that be accidental, some sort of fluke? Or is it, as I've long suspected, the predictable outcome of how they've been quietly groomed over the past two decades?

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    1. A leadership void has made Americans ripe for a Lord of the Flies remake, Mound.

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  2. .. 'to own the liberals' - talk about a bizarro rationale. In other words' destroying Nike products really has nothing to do with the purpose behind Kaepernick's decision making.. but everything to do with being partisan. This campaign and story is going to gain momentum, as our favorite sports stars make decisions for or against supporting Kaep. My prediction is its a winner for Nike.. and will weed out the losers who are just that.. losers, who can't get their dim heads around the 'take a knee' movement and police violence & related rascism. Trump et al, no slouches at extreme partisan behaviour will lose their minds, then attempt to force new 'laws' down the throats of the population.. hell, Trump tries that out on a daily basis.

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    1. While it may provide temporary oxygen for Trump nation, Sal, I think Nike knows hat it is doing here and it will prove to be a very, very successful and canny corporate move.

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  3. This post, especially the first photo of some dork purporting to set fire to his blue sneakers, sent me scrambling. Yes, there's a prominent "N" on the side but the tongue of the shoe plainly has the logo of the manufacturer, New Balance. It took me a while to confirm that New Balance is not some subsidiary of Nike. So this brain dead loser is instead threatening to burn his New Balance sneakers to teach Nike a lesson. The very worst part is how I don't find any of that surprising.

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    1. As always, the unhinged reactionary right is its own worst enemy, Mound.

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  4. Article Cross-posting Inquiry

    Would it be OK if I cross-posted this article on my website? There is no fee, I’m simply trying to add more content diversity for Writer Beat and liked what you wrote. I’ll be sure to give you complete credit as the author. You can learn more about the site by checking out my profile (my email and the website address are there) or just reply "sure (via email)" and I'll hanedle the rest.

    Autumn

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    1. Please feel free to repost as you see fit, Autumn.

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  5. I used to run by Phils' home, or run to Bald Peak State Park, in Marathon training, when I lived on Chehalem Mountain for 25 years - Life was good, or so I thought. However there were nagging concerns - My only pair of Nikes were bought in '72 because after I returned them 3 times for ripping out on the sides with no refund, I had had it - $13 was a lot of money back then. Later, I had patients who designed Nikes who ruined their feet running in their own shoes, because as everyone knew, Nikes were designed for appearance and not function - One had both feet below the top of the shoe a beet red contusion after only a half Marathon.
    Nike it seems has joined the Socialist clique, polarizing the company at a time when about half the voters, including myself, are in love with Donald John Trump and his spectacular Conservative achievements, not ever believing a word of that horrid Fake News.
    Another problem was that it seemed nobody from Nike noticed when Alberto stopped running, even though he was suffering badly from depression - We are so lucky that he recovered on Prozac and other measures, enough to win the Comrades, and then the Hood To Coast with his team in the tiny blue Ford mini-van (The Adidas van had 'Prozac Free' written on their van in medical tape).
    Let's please return to sanity and not commit to failed ideologies, or at least keep politics out of corporate America.

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    1. Your cynicism about Nike's quality and practices is duly noted, Anon. However, if you regard socialism as one of the failed ideologies, I suggest you consider what schools, fire departments, libraries and a myriad of other services would look like without it.

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