Brands Must Make a Choice

In announcing Colin Kaepernick as part of their new “Just Do It” ad, Nike is taking probably one of the firmest positions I’ve seen a brand take when it comes to such a polarizing topic. Some may say its for attention, further contributing to the current divide in our American society. But I think there’s more to this decision. Perhaps I’m being a bit naive, but I believe that Nike wanted to not only align themselves with a story that possesses the bravery and determination that the swoosh has long personified (no matter your feelings on Kaepernick, one cannot deny the bravery he has shown even as his career suffered). Nike is playing the long game here, believing that aligning with Kaepernick is aligning with the winning side for their business.
Colin Kaepernick first began his protest in 2016, stating his opposition to the continued oppression of people of color, in particularly African Americans. The move immediately opened fissures within the football world and beyond, to the point where earlier this year, Trump pushed the NFL to make a rule addressing any protests by the league’s players. The sad causality, as I mentioned earlier, seems to have been Colin’s career within the league. But this hasn’t stopped him from continuing to speak out.
We’ve seen various forms of athlete protest prior to Kaepernick. The one that could directly be compared to Kaepernick’s kneel would be the Black Power Salute at the 1968 Olympics. This also caused an uproar despite the nobel nature of what was being protested — the second class status of African Americans in the United States, directly related to the effects of segregation.
No one can argue that the killing of innocent people of color by police, or the limited access this community has to better homes, jobs, and opportunity is in itself, right. Those against these protests usually approach their arguments from the stance of Blue Lives Matter, and/or States rights, but they will never directly say that the why behind the protests is wrong. They may also simply say, “Not the time or place.” Sports have held such a sacred place in American life, where the best of American values and culture is on full display. That is why, among all the protests that have occurred, such a large uproar comes with any protest that occurs within the confines of sport. Any breach where politics, or in this case, reality, enters the realm, is considered unforgivable by many.
In America, the most popular sport remains to be football, followed by Basketball, and then Baseball in a distant third place. Within the NFL, 70% of its players are African American. The fan base is 83% white, and there are only 2 owners of color. In a sport where the risk for future health problems for its players has been proven, we cannot ignore the fact that a largely white audience is watching mostly black players pummel themselves into each other for the sake of the sport. There is the entertainment value that these players provide the audience, but when off the field, these same men enter an America where they face prejudices in a number of ways, including at the hands of police, one has to ask, just how distinct is the line between entertainment, and reality?
We are entering a very interesting period in American society, where the president has put aside the concept of remaining neutral in well, anything. He takes sides and sticks to them, just as many of us have been forced to do as well. In a media heavy world, where posts about entertainment, politics, and sport have been meshed together, unfortunately the once ‘sacred’ world of sports is now a victim to this climate as well. It is hard to ignore, on our social media timelines, a post regarding Colin Kaepernick’s protest followed by another showing a video of an innocent black man being killed by police and not be forced to consider the strange and unfortunate connections between the two. The lines have blurred, and remaining neutral is no longer an option.
This puts many brands in a unique position. Advertising is meant to appeal to as wide an audience as possible, and therefore remaining neutral is the name of the game. But is that possible in today’s climate? Not really. You can’t expect to invite Steve Bannon to headline your conference and not have almost every other participant drop out because of his presence. Brands must adapt to this new world, whether they like it or not. They must make a choice.
And Nike knows this. Simply from a marketing analysis perspective, Nike siding with the athlete is probably better for their long term success as they make clothing and gear for…athletes. But, as Martin Luther King Jr said, “Let us realize the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” Colin Kaepernick is simply fighting for justice for all Americans. Nike is betting that when the dust clears, Kaepernick and his bravery will be the victors.
In this case, I’d be willing to bet that Nike is right.
-Harry Hall