Colin Kaepernick Campaign Gives Nike a Big Sales Boost

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

The people complaining, at least half of them I bet, are perfectly okay with a traitorous flag that stands for slavery and that allowed the legal rape, life-long exploitation, and murder of black people for centuries.

What good can be seen when only the most negative connections that only might be true are on display?

Can you be more specific?

 

[fast]

Yes

 

[Harry Bosch]

Well, I doubt that Nike is worried about the fools that are protesting this. I have a close friend who manages a local shoe store. She stopped by to visit me yesterday and said that Nikes are selling just fine, but there was one fool who came into the store to make some disparaging remark about Nikes. Considering that we live in a very conservative little city with a lot of poorly educated folks, that's not too bad. And, Nike had a terrible year in 2017. They had to lay off a lot of people and they have been working on this ad campaign for quite awhile. The campaign includes several other athletes as well as Kap. This thing is about selling more shoes and a lot of people, the ones who actually understand the 1st amendment are fine with Nike's ad campaign. I have no idea if it will sell more shoes, but Jim Carrey proudly displayed his new Nikes on Bill Maher's show last night, so maybe the ad campaign will work.

As a person who stopped saluting the flag and standing for the anthem about 50 years ago, I find some of the comments here very offensive and even a bit scary. Do you people like the idea of living in an autocracy that denies you freedom of speech? It looks as if we're heading in that direction. I like a line from a song from the late Ray Charles. "The flag is just a rag as long as one of us isn't free". That is exactly why I don't salute that rag, but you are perfectly free to do so as that is also your right. The anthem is a disgrace imo, a war mongering disgrace. It sickens me to hear it. Another term that I like is, "My mind is not for sale or rent to any god or government." I love my country and want it to be much better than it currently is, but I despise our current government. Can you see the difference between loving your country and hating its government?

Finally, Kap asked a veteran what would be the best way to respectfully protest. He was told to take a knee because that isn't at all offensive. There are some veteran groups that are fully supporting the protests. I think my late father, who was a combat Marine during WWII would probably agree that it's okay to peacefully protest. He hung his flag upside down to protest the Iraq War, but some asshole came along at night and cut the flag down because he was offended and didn't realize that this was a symbol of distress and a peaceful way of protesting the war. War destroyed my father, as it does many people.

Good post. Yes: the big difference between left and the right is how we protest. Kap was very respectful asking for advice from a veteran. Most of the people bitching about the kneeling never served a day in uniform in their life. Contrast that with the right. The right could care less about all the disrespect that they show for us.

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

Kid Rock:“Football’s about ready to start. You know what? Fuck Colin Kaepernick!”

 

[untermensche]

Fuck the pathetic snowflakes that have problems with a man kneeling quietly.

 

[southernhybrid]

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/08/us/military-race-nfl-nike-kaepernick.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fus&action=click&contentCollection=us&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=9&pgtype=sectionfront

We wanted to know how service members and veterans felt about this, so Race/Related collaborated with At War, The New York Times Magazine’s channel that explores the experience and costs of war. Together, we reached out to readers for their perspectives on the debate, asking how their service and race have influenced their opinions. We received more than 400 responses. Here are some of their perspectives.

As a black man and former service member with two tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, the sad reality is that statistically speaking, I was more likely to be killed by a police officer at home in New York City than by the Taliban or an armed combatant in a far-off land. I have parted ways and broken ties with former comrades who I went to war with because of their foolhardy and abhorrent views on unarmed black people being wrongfully killed and their complete misconstruing of the Kaepernick protest.

These men want complacence and silence, even though we fought for and had friends who died for the right of citizens to speak freely against injustice and inequity. I realized that these same white comrades, even after sharing the bond of service, ultimately only judge and value me in the same way as their favorite black athletes: as a commodity.

There are quite a few other examples in the link concerning how minority veterans or those who are currently serving feel about the protest. Guess what? They support Kap.

 

[southernhybrid]

I don't know if anyone else already posted this, but at least one player is continuing with the protest. Good for him.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/07/sports/kenny-stills-national-anthem-protest.html?action=click&module=Editors%20Picks&pgtype=Homepage

DAVIE, Fla. — As the N.F.L. season gets underway, Colin Kaepernick, a quarterback who has not taken a snap in nearly two years, is back at center stage, his presence looming over the league because of Nike’s dramatic ad campaign featuring his willingness to sacrifice his career for his political beliefs.

All but a few players have returned to standing or raising fists during the playing of the national anthem, but Kenny Stills, a wide receiver on the Miami Dolphins, continues to kneel and has quietly become the on-field face of the movement Kaepernick started in 2016.

Stills, entering his sixth season, is an unlikely torch bearer for the protests. Other than a few episodes at Oklahoma, he said he had not endured outright acts of racism.

He grew up in San Diego, a city with a significant military presence, and does not fit cleanly into the often misguided assumptions about the controversy surrounding the protests — that they are somehow antimilitary, or that all military people and the players who know them are against the protesters. Stills’s grandfather was in the Marines. Several influential figures from his childhood have military backgrounds.

 

[Underseer]

Gosh, you mean to tell me that the same Russia-loving, America-hating, sister-fucking goobers who gleefully support a racist traitor in the White House get angry about people using their first amendment rights to beg for their own lives?

No!

You don't say!

And I was so sure that they were the nice kind of racist traitors!

Clearly, I shall have to re-evaluate a few things. This is disturbing.

 

[Trausti]

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

How is he able to pronounce child but not labor?

 

[T.G.G. Moogly]

Will try to make my next pair of shoes Nike.

 

[Toni]

What causes could people also take a knee for that would and would not be approved?

It is never the simply taking of a knee that is the problem, just like a person getting arrested when walking isn't always merely (or just) walking; sometimes, they're trespassing. When people cry out that someone was arrested for just walking, don't let the fact (the truth) that they were walking be confused with the accusation that they were "just walking."

A person that is sitting may be doing other things. Sometimes, they're waiting, like in a doctors office, which is perfectly fine and acceptable. When someone (on the other hand) walks out of a liquor store and sits upon the ground, they may very well ALSO be waiting, but when they're cited two hours later (and after numerous complaints for bumbing cigarettes) for loitering, don't allow what they think they're merely doing be conflated with what else they're doing.

The act of kneeling is often associated with showing a sign of respect, but not always (as this case exemplifies). What else other than kneeling was he doing? Protesting, and ya know what, that's no more of a problem than is smiling while walking, frowning when running, or remaining stoic and kneeling. What I'm saying is that neither is a problem, so what else was he doing that has so many up in arms?

First, let it be known that not showing respect doesn't always equate to being disrespectful--much like how not believing there is a god doesn't equate with believing there is not a God. One can not show respect without showing disrespect. For instance, while looking for someone in a crowd and not standing for the pledge while not readily a sign that respect is being shown, it's not necessarily blatant disrespect.

This man took center stage to display disgust towards the most precious symbol our nation has.

A white woman on the radio this morning told the story of a black man (a mighty fine man in my opinion based on what she said about him) who talked of how people are too quick to single out the negatives. He reminded us of how things used to be and spoke positively about how there are white people in those stands--people that pay to see the games played regardless of what race the players may comprise. How it was reported was much more eloquent, but the point was that there's a lot of good (and not just bad) that can be contributed to that flag.

If you want to silently refuse to show respect, that's one thing, but don't think for a moment that silent as he was while not showing respect was the only thing he was doing.

The kneeling, not a problem. Not showing respect for the flag; we can even deal with that. And that he was protesting--many of which don't have a problem with, even if some have a problem with the venue. The real disgust stems from the "fuck you America" that the taking of that knee was symbolic of.

Don't confuse walking with trespassing. Don't confuse kneeling and protesting with what he did. Yes, he did both, but just as the guy that came out the liquor store did more than sit and wait, that kneeling, protesting, player did more than just kneel and protest.

The most precious symbol has is cops murdering black folks?

Really?

 

[barbos]

It's no surprise, people have to buy new shoes to replace the ones they burned.

 

[fast]

What causes could people also take a knee for that would and would not be approved?

It is never the simply taking of a knee that is the problem, just like a person getting arrested when walking isn't always merely (or just) walking; sometimes, they're trespassing. When people cry out that someone was arrested for just walking, don't let the fact (the truth) that they were walking be confused with the accusation that they were "just walking."

A person that is sitting may be doing other things. Sometimes, they're waiting, like in a doctors office, which is perfectly fine and acceptable. When someone (on the other hand) walks out of a liquor store and sits upon the ground, they may very well ALSO be waiting, but when they're cited two hours later (and after numerous complaints for bumbing cigarettes) for loitering, don't allow what they think they're merely doing be conflated with what else they're doing.

The act of kneeling is often associated with showing a sign of respect, but not always (as this case exemplifies). What else other than kneeling was he doing? Protesting, and ya know what, that's no more of a problem than is smiling while walking, frowning when running, or remaining stoic and kneeling. What I'm saying is that neither is a problem, so what else was he doing that has so many up in arms?

First, let it be known that not showing respect doesn't always equate to being disrespectful--much like how not believing there is a god doesn't equate with believing there is not a God. One can not show respect without showing disrespect. For instance, while looking for someone in a crowd and not standing for the pledge while not readily a sign that respect is being shown, it's not necessarily blatant disrespect.

This man took center stage to display disgust towards the most precious symbol our nation has.

A white woman on the radio this morning told the story of a black man (a mighty fine man in my opinion based on what she said about him) who talked of how people are too quick to single out the negatives. He reminded us of how things used to be and spoke positively about how there are white people in those stands--people that pay to see the games played regardless of what race the players may comprise. How it was reported was much more eloquent, but the point was that there's a lot of good (and not just bad) that can be contributed to that flag.

If you want to silently refuse to show respect, that's one thing, but don't think for a moment that silent as he was while not showing respect was the only thing he was doing.

The kneeling, not a problem. Not showing respect for the flag; we can even deal with that. And that he was protesting--many of which don't have a problem with, even if some have a problem with the venue. The real disgust stems from the "fuck you America" that the taking of that knee was symbolic of.

Don't confuse walking with trespassing. Don't confuse kneeling and protesting with what he did. Yes, he did both, but just as the guy that came out the liquor store did more than sit and wait, that kneeling, protesting, player did more than just kneel and protest.

The most precious symbol has is cops murdering black folks?

Really?

Pick a country, any country. Tally up and properly weigh (then compare) the positives and negatives that can be attributed to that country and write in numerical form (oh say, grade form) how it stacks up to every country on this planet, kind of like a cost benefit analysis that orders the list of countries from great to awful.

To my way of thinking, the US is pretty high up on the list. Sure, there's some things not so great, but there's some good for sure; a lot of people are quite eager to come here (probably not for our bacon and honey)--and I haven't heard too much about people not being able to escape from the US seeking asylum elsewhere.

Now, there are going to be things you're not going to like about what's going on here, but there's still so much that is good! Like a team, there is going to be some things we don't like, but we still have pride for our team. In the US, there is some room for improvement, to say the least, and bringing attention to that is just fine, but how it's done is important. You don't do it by disrespectig the team as a whole when all things considered is a great place to live.

Look at his life and how he has benefitted. The US is apart of what paved way for the success he enjoys. Disgruntled about something, fine, but the rest of us in the US don't see all bad and still have pride for our country and believes in showing honor.

It doesn't matter how you show disgrace, quietly kneeling or shouting from the rooftops, but don't confuse the message. He is saying that the US does not deserve being honored. Yeah, that's not the whole message; there's something in there about black people being killed, but his cause is supremely smothered and has no relevence whatsoever when it's accompanied by intentional disrespect for our country--be it through quietly kneeling during an anthem or the burning of a flag, or pissing on the liberty bell.

 

[bilby]

Or we could correlate increased sales with a massively reported on ad campaign which just happened before the increase and then go ahead and not correlate long term trends with singular ad campaigns.

Which would mean you would ignore the effect I mention - that the sales volume is merely shifted, with no net increase.
I do not know if that's the case, but neither do you or phands or anybody else without looking at what happens to sales down the road.

Ah, the old 'It's always too early to tell that I am wrong' gambit.

 

[Worldtraveller]

Pick a country, any country. Tally up and properly weigh (then compare) the positives and negatives that can be attributed to that country and write in numerical form (oh say, grade form) how it stacks up to every country on this planet, kind of like a cost benefit analysis that orders the list of countries from great to awful.

To my way of thinking, the US is pretty high up on the list.

Ok then, show your work. Please control for your race, gender, and religious leanings.

 

[Elixir]

Yes

Not in evidence.

 

[phands]

Best Tweet response the Nike furore ever....

This is perfect...

.@meluhnen





Y’all ready to boycott Nike over a black man but won’t boycott Catholic Churches for fucking y’all kids
12:14 PM - Sep 4, 2018

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[Tom Sawyer]

Pick a country, any country. Tally up and properly weigh (then compare) the positives and negatives that can be attributed to that country and write in numerical form (oh say, grade form) how it stacks up to every country on this planet, kind of like a cost benefit analysis that orders the list of countries from great to awful.

To my way of thinking, the US is pretty high up on the list.

Ok then, show your work. Please control for your race, gender, and religious leanings.

Also ... so what?

The US being high on the list is good, but that's not a reason to have people avoid protesting ways it could be better and pointing out the flaws which still exist.

The rate at which black men get killed by the police in your country is a massive stain on it and people in general (and black men in particular) should be as vocal as possible about that stain and this particular form of protest seems to be having a lot more impact than anything else they've tried to get other people to stop ignoring the issue.

The US having numerous other positives doesn't affect that.

 

[Underseer]

https://www.12up.com/posts/6169949-...-time-high-after-colin-kaepernick-endorsement

On Wednesday, Nike's stock closed ​at $83 per share, which is the highest in the company's history.

​​Well, there goes the main argument critics have used in recent weeks. Many of them were vocal on social media, claiming they will boycott the company and burn all of their merchandise as a form of protest.

Gosh, it's almost as if the "boycott" is having the opposite effect because most people see the yelling about kneeling as inherently racist.