It’s practically impossible to walk through NC State’s campus without seeing at least one instance of the Nike “swoosh” on someone’s apparel. Whether it’s socks, shoes, shorts, shirts or any other accessories, Nike is a popular brand amongst NC State students. Although Nike, unlike Adidas, does not have an official partnership with NC State, the athletic apparel retailer does have Wolfpack-branded products.
If you have social media, you’ll know that despite not having an NFL contract for over a year now, Colin Kaepernick is the new face of Nike’s #JustDoIt campaign, in time for its 30th anniversary. The slogan overlaid on Kaepernick’s headshot, “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything,” speaks to Kaepernick’s sacrifice of his professional career in order to stand against racism and police brutality against black people.
In 2016, Kaepernick, then a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, shook up the norm when he kneeled on the field as the national anthem played. To put it mildly, people lost their minds. Although Kaepernick is not nearly the first individual to protest the national anthem, especially at a sporting event, nor is he the first to be embroiled in controversy regarding the national anthem, it didn’t take long for him to become persona non grata within the NFL and amongst football fans and jingoistic Americans.
In the wake of Kaepernick’s ad campaign, several photos and videos of people mangling and destroying their Nike apparel have gone viral on social media. People are cutting the “swoosh” off of the tops of their socks, and even setting fire to their shoes.
Most of the so-called backlash against Nike and Kaepernick comes from people who are so staunch in their support of the flag, and the anthem, that they are unable to comprehend the ways in which the flag and anthem come just short of offering protection and a sense of belonging to marginalized communities in this country. Further, the people who scream about Kaepernick disrespecting veterans by kneeling seem to be the same people who agree with budget cuts to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Ultimately, people (including, no doubt, NC State students) destroying Nike apparel they already own is doing nothing to hurt Nike’s sales, nor will any attempts at boycotting the brand. What this type of destruction does exemplify is the single-minded ignorance of people who claim to support the troops but do nothing to actually help them.
Moreover, those that are so passionate about destroying their Nike apparel, just because Kaepernick is the new face of the campaign, need to take a good look at why they are so against someone standing up for marginalized communities and systemic oppression. When someone’s support of a flag eclipses their support (or lack thereof) of the people in need, of people being targeted by ignorance and oppression, it is clear that perhaps a sports apparel brand, or a single football player exercising his right to free speech, isn’t the real issue at hand.
If you’re a student intent on getting rid of your Nike gear in protest of Kaepernick’s #JustDoIt campaign, perhaps reconsider, and, rather than destroying perfectly good clothes and shoes, think about donating them to your local homeless shelter or Goodwill. In fact, the Hillsborough Police Department is requesting that people give their unwanted Nike gear to the police, so that the clothes and shoes can be redistributed to people in need.
