Nike recently launched its new ad campaign for the 30th anniversary of “Just Do It,” as most Americans well know by now.
The ad features Colin Kaepernick (shown above left), the former 49ers quarterback who became a household name for his protests during the national anthem a couple of years ago, with the words, “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.”
In response, there has been a great deal of controversy, with many people focusing on Kaepernick and his protests, which were themselves controversial at the time.
As for Nike’s online sales, the numbers, at least, don’t seem to have suffered.
Time will tell whether the figures hold true for brick-and-mortar stores, of course, — and as Americans soon prepare for the Christmas and winter holidays ahead.
Nike has its fans, its detractors — and sometimes those who fall somewhere in between.
Golf star Tiger Woods this past weekend, speaking from the BMW Championship outside Philadelphia, said, “I think Nike is trying to get out ahead of it and trying to do something special, and I think they’ve done that … It’s a beautiful spot and pretty powerful people in the spot,” as USA Today reported.
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However, Mike Rowe, the former host of “Dirty Jobs,” had a different take altogether.
In a post on Monday, Rowe wrote, “Nike’s free to celebrate whomever they wish, and Kaepernick is entitled to his opinion — kneeling, standing, or lying down. But if I was going to put someone’s face on a billboard — someone who epitomized bravery and sacrifice — I might have gone another way, especially this time of year.”
Tuesday marks the 17th anniversary of 9/11.
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Rowe continued on to talk about Tom Burnett, who was on Flight 93 on that day: “Tom’s last act on earth was one of the most courageous things imaginable.”
“And his last words to his wife, Deena, are among the most inspiring I’ve ever heard.”
Rowe included a transcript of Burnett’s phone calls to his wife, Deena — a former flight attendant.
The passengers of Flight 93 realized that their hijacked plane was going to be used to crash into a building.
They decided that they would risk their lives in an attempt to overpower the hijackers — to save both their own lives and the lives of all those who might be targeted.
Burnett’s last words to his wife were: “We’re going to do something.”
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