There’s not a whole lot to believe in, these days.
Political leadership is either depraved, reactionary, or spineless: take your pick. The Catholic Church is stumbling and fumbling and fighting amongst themselves over another sex abuse scandal. Big Tech companies get caught doing something unethical, then apologize and pretend to change, only to repeat the process because they know we won’t log off.
The entertainment industry is no less dreary. The #MeToo movement revealed a culture of sexual predation in Hollywood. The NFL tried to cover-up research on brain injuries. The FBI is currently conducting an investigation into NCAA basketball programs, looking to crack down on illegal payments to players who normally get paid nothing for their contributions to a billion dollar industry.
So, as we march further into the 21st century, there’s not a whole lot to believe in.
Enter Nike, the shoe company that burst on the scene through its marketing savvy – encouraging athletes to “Just Do It” and attaching their famous SWOOSH to the rising stars of sports. They caught lighting in a bottle by signing Michael Jordan in the 80’s. His rise to world stardom meant their rise in the stock-market.
Their latest bet is re-signing Colin Kaepernick and making him the face of a multi-million dollar campaign. Two seasons ago, Kaepernick started kneeling during the National Anthem before his football games, a protest of police shootings and racial disparities in the criminal justice system. He told NFL Media at the time:
“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”
It’s worth noting that Kaepernick decided to kneel, instead of sitting down, after talking with an Army veteran who convinced him that kneeling would be more respectful.
The reactions and counter-reactions to the kneeling trend were predictably fierce. Trump tweeted about it. Athletes tweeted back. The NFL threw its hands up and decided to stop showing the Anthem during broadcasts this year.
Predictably, the reactions to the Nike ad have also been fierce. Liberals (who might have been burning their Nikes a few years back to protest unfair labor practices) are proudly wearing the brand and supporting its heroic stance in a divided culture. Meanwhile, Trumpsters are burning their Nikes in trash cans, promising to boycott the brand.
So far the bet is paying off. Even though the stock price dipped slightly after the campaign announcement, Nike online sales shot up, their strategy calculated for millennials and younger audiences who are more sympathetic to Kaepernick than Trump.
Which belies the message of their advertisement: “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.”
In a saturated media market with goldfish attention spans, making a splash is valuable.
Controversy brings attention. Being borderline inappropriate brings attention. Crossing the line brings even more attention. That’s how reality TV show host Donald Trump emerged as the front runner in 2016 in a crowded field of more qualified Republicans. He got billions of free media coverage by being outlandish.
Possibly Nike Inc., who took in $34 billion in revenue last year, truly believes in Kaepernick’s message and was willing to risk market share to make a courageous moral stance. But what does it mean for a corporation to believe in something?
The cynic in me wants to critique the callousness of Nike, who would never make this ad if someone didn’t think it would boost the bottom line. They would never endorse Kaepernick if it meant “sacrificing everything.”
The cynic in me wants to point out that Kaepernick’s career was floundering by the time he took a knee. After this endorsement deal, he’s probably better off materially than he would have been if his career continued its arc. So far he has “sacrificed” a second string quarterback position and gained a multi-million dollar endorsement deal.
The optimist in me sees truth in the message, and the thirst for the truth behind the message. People want to believe in people who believe in something. People thirst for eternal truths in a world crumbling around them. People want athletes to care about causes and people more than they care about making money.
By all accounts Kaepernick is sincere in his activism. He donates money. He gets involved in communities. His social stance is not a charade. He believes in something.
The message, though, is tainted by the platform. It’s an advertisement campaign. The goal is to get more people to buy expensive clothing products.
What’s conspicuously absent in all the words being spilled over this controversial corporate message is any discussion of practical steps toward achieving the goal of Kaepernick’s protest.
Criminal justice reform will not be achieved by snazzy Nike ads.
Billy Robb 