"Just Do It" or Do Not (Jesse B.)

9/11/2018

Last week for the 30th anniversary of their “Just Do It” slogan, Nike released an advertisement that depicts NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick with the words, “Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything.” The initial reaction from the public was fiercely against the ad. For instance, Nike shares went down about three percent immediately upon release as well as President Trump tweeting in on the issue saying, “Nike is getting absolutely killed with anger and boycotts.” Since then, the share prices have recovered along with a 31 percent growth in sales (almost double then the same time last year), even though only 34 percent of the United States view Kaepernick positively.

This all began over two years ago with Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem to bring to light a message of racial injustice that occurs within the United States and the world. Many people do not view his actions to be heroic though. It can be viewed as extremely disrespectful to the men and women who have fought and died in order to keep our country safe from threats foreign and domestic.

What is your opinion on this topic? Do you see the actions of Colin Kaepernick as necessary steps to reach racial equality or as a distraction and lack of respect towards America’s veterans? Or something else? Why?

Source: White, Martha C. “What Boycott? Nike Sales Are Up 31 Percent Since The Kaepernick Campaign.” NBC News, 10 Sept. 2018, https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/what-boycott-nike-sales-are-31-percent-kaepernick-campaign-n908251. Accessed 11 Sept. 2018

43 Comments

McKinlee

9/11/2018 06:00:56 pm

I can honestly see both sides of the kneeling during the the national anthem. I understand how some people can find it disrespectful (and personally it is not something I would do myself) but I also don’t see a problem? I haven’t looked enough into the whole issue to develop an opinion. I think that if you’re going to be protesting (?) you shouldn’t do it during something like the national anthem but I also don’t believe this is something to fight so hard over. I do enjoy the memes that came from this ad though!

Saylor

9/15/2018 11:05:19 am

In my opinion, this was all a disrespectful distraction. I do not think people should not be kneeling during the national anthem. Kneeling during the national anthem is very disrespectful (considering how many lives were lost so we could raise our flag). Also, people shouldn't be protesting during something that is celebrated in the country we live in. If racial equality means so much to him, he should be protesting off the field (instead of disrespecting an entire country on the field). This is a topic that needs to be solved, but it was not brought up in the right way.

Katarina

9/15/2018 11:15:29 am

I agree Mckinlee and Saylor that if he wants to protest that's fine but do it off the field. In my opinion when he is on that field he is at work. Therefore you do what your employers want especially when you are making millions for running around on a field. When the American people are paying your extravagant salary, you respect their flag.

Kenna

9/15/2018 12:17:18 pm

I agree with you Mckinlee. Kneeling something I would not do but I can see the other side's point. The memes were pretty good though!

Jazz-Lynn Grant

9/16/2018 06:37:15 pm

I am in the same position. While I can understand why people are upset, I think it's important to look back at the initial reason for the protest. If we're focusing solely on Kaepernick's actions, I believe that they weren't the best choice, but they certainly made an impact, which I suppose was the goal. I think Kaepernick should have apologized after the first time and then found another way to go about protesting. My favorite parody meme is the I Am Groot rendition.

Katarina

9/15/2018 11:09:59 am

Personally I have very little respect for Kaepernick. I can understand kneeling for the flag and the anthem if you truly believed in something because it affected you personally. Kaepernick grew up in a nice house with a nice family. He did not rise from the projects like some other athletes and had to fight tooth and nail to make a name for himself because he came from the bad part of town. I personally don't think it is right for someone of his background thinks just because of his race he has the right to feel the same as others who had to fight for what they now have. The other issue with this topic is these football players, Kaepernick included are employees of the government in a sense. My dad being a police officer is an employee for the government and if he got caught disrespecting the flag in any way, kneeling included, he would either be terminated from his position or reprimanded to a high extent. Kaepernick has been privelaged since a young age so I don't believe he has the knowledge to be protesting racial injustice when he has not experienced it.

Kelsey

9/15/2018 12:47:18 pm

I agree with you that Kaepernick's actions are disrespectful, and that he should not be disrespecting the flag, that is a bad representation of his cause. However, I disagree on the topic of he should not be speaking up if he doesn't have experience. I think anyone should have the right to speak up for what they believe in despite their background. Think about when JFK was advocating for civil rights, he came from a privileged background and still made a huge difference for racially discriminated citizens. Many white people protest against racial discrimination, the constitution does not say black people that have experienced racial discrimination can only protest for their rights. We would not go anywhere as a country if that was the case. Also, Kaepernick is not a government employee, the NFL is a private entity.

Mckinlee

9/16/2018 05:38:19 pm

I’m with Kelsey on how he has the right to protest even if he doesn’t have the experience. Speaking up is a pretty important part of civil rights and even if someone doesn’t have the experience I think it still helps the cause.

Conrad Dougherty

9/16/2018 05:36:21 pm

Professional sports players are often seen as role models and heroes in the eyes of kids and young adults. Not only was Kaepernick disrespecting our armed forces, but he was also setting a terrible example for our younger generation. I also agree that he does not have the standing for such an extreme action, he should have considered other options first.

Kenna

9/15/2018 12:13:32 pm

Personally, I don't know enough about this topic to have much of an opinion. However, I do believe that there are probably better ways to get this point across. I don't believe this protest really changed much except for offending half of America (but let me know if I am wrong). People have made a big deal out of this when there much better things to be worried about.

Katarina

9/15/2018 12:18:23 pm

I agree that the protest hasn't changed anything except the fact that he made a lot of American's upset and that there are more important things to be focused on.

Brooke

9/15/2018 03:56:17 pm

Occasionaly, America tends to focus on the wrong things and ignore the important. The 'big deal' is about the wrong reasons, and now it has been spun out of proportion. His protest was peaceful and directed at racial equality, yet all the nation has gotten out of it was the offensive implication (can be understandable), and then is lazer focused on that part (unhelpful). Which is where it gets hairy, and everyone becomes angry.

Challis

9/16/2018 12:41:18 pm

I agree when you say this protest did nothing but upset America. Our country should worry more about actual racism rather than worry about a football player's failed attempt to protest racism.

Katherine

9/16/2018 03:58:24 pm

I don't think anything has changed as a result of this protest. I think he had the right intentions but he pursued them in the wrong way. There are better ways to support a cause than to create such a controversial mess.

Kelsey

9/15/2018 12:33:59 pm

I think there is no right answer to this controversy. Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem is disrespectful to those families who lost loved ones to protecting our country. But, Kaepernick also has a right to free speech and has a right to act differently to let the voices of the discriminated against be heard. That is the beauty of democracy. There is room for citizens to do and say what they believe as long as they do it within the law, and there is room for other citizens to speak up against protest they deem disrespectful. I think there are other ways Kaepernick could have gone about this to get his point across because his way caused more retaliation than support. He did get a lot of attention and press, but it was mostly negative. If a person wants to fight for a cause, then they should think it through first and do something that will accumulate positive support and encouragement.
I would suggest listening to this speech, I felt like former president Obama covered the topic well and offered some good insight and advice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPqOotT_ta8

Jesse B.

9/16/2018 02:10:44 pm

Our country would have faded into history long ago if it were not the rights given to us by our Founding Fathers, but this nation would not have been able to exist without the men and women who have sacrificed their lives for the protection of its people. There is no answer that will satisfy everyone on whether Kaepernick's actions were admirable or despicable, but that, like you say, "is the beauty of democracy." We can voice our opinions as long as we stay within the law. What are some of the other ways that Kaepernick could have protested more effectively or in a way that would have caused less controversy? In addition, I liked how you included an interesting speech on the topic along with your opinion.

Kenna

9/16/2018 06:56:39 pm

I agree that there is no right answer to this debate. The people of our country do have the right to act differently. What you said about positive support is completely right in opinion.

Sariah

9/16/2018 07:50:11 pm

I like the point that you made about how he got attention and press. Which makes me wonder if he did it to gain attention just in general (any kind he could get). I completely agree with the points you made about how someone should think their actions through because I believe he did not. I wonder how many celebrities have used their fame positively when making stands in a humbling way. It is one thing I would like to see more of in our society. People improving our countries problems a little at a time positively.

Brooke

9/15/2018 03:45:51 pm

The prompted arguments of this event are opinion and emotion based, wich will always lead to a jumbled controversy in which there is no agreeable outcome, as is humanity. In my opinion, freedom to express beliefs should always be a given right, but that will not always be accepted by others because of How beliefs are expressed. Which leads us to this. The way Kaepernick protested may not have been the best way to promote his point, yes, it was quite disrespectful, and we determined his actions to be aimed at a pressure point in America; women and men who give their lives for our country. The lifeblood of this nation, so people rightly became angry. But that was not what Kaepernick was protesting, although the implication rests. Perhaps he could have gone about it a different way, but his actions certainly got the ball rolling...just maybe in the wrong direction. We are not focusing on his point of why he kneeled, we are stuck on the How, if that makes sense. Issues like these are so controversial because it takes two strongly held internal ideals, which are viciously backed, and clashes them together. I believe people will be angry anyway, and we need to respect the reality of both sides even if we do not agree.

Kelsey

9/16/2018 01:20:48 pm

Nicely stated, I agree with your opinion. This conflict is similar to the abortion debate in which both sides could be right and could be wrong. Do you think that if he protested in a non-disrespectful way he would have gotten as much attention? Maybe if he didn't cause such a fuss, he wouldn't have gotten the publicity he did.

Jesse B.

9/16/2018 02:26:00 pm

Kaepernick certainly got something rolling and I agree that it is not rolling in a way that is not helping anything (besides Nike's bank accounts). Also, your point on how people are not focused on his reason for kneeling, but the act of kneeling itself instead is very true. If Kaepernick would have protested in a different fashion, would his message be as effective? If so, how and where?

Conrad Dougherty

9/16/2018 05:42:34 pm

Our distractio from Kaepernick's intention to his actions is also another primary reason why he should have looked at other methods to protest, he should have seen this route creating hate and high tensions, which in turn, would render his whole point of protesting invalid. Kaepernick made a choice that failed because of his actions and not his intentions.

Challis

9/16/2018 12:29:46 pm

I feel like Kaepernick's heart was in the right place as his goal was to protest a major injustice that plagues the United States. He just went about doing it wrong. The National Anthem represents our entire country as a whole. That includes its citizens, governments, and the people who fight for our country. Now, there are terrible things that happen within our country because people are flawed but there are always going to be bad people. The National Anthem doesn't stand for the bad in The United States it stands for all of The United States and while there is corruption I feel that one cannot sit for the national anthem in protest without completely disregarding the good people of this country and especially the people who have fought and died for our freedoms. BUT (correct me if I'm wrong) I do not think it was Kaepernick's intention to disrespect our troops and quite frankly we should be targeting racists and racism, not someone trying to protest racism that is ignorant to how what he is doing offends other people.

Katarina

9/16/2018 02:53:45 pm

I agree except if he wasn’t intentionally trying to disrespect our troops why would he keep doing it even after the people spoke their mind and clearly said that they felt like he was disrespecting the men and women who have fought for our country. Instead of understanding their issues and changing the way he protested he continued to do it, even though it seemed like he was disrespecting the troops.

Katherine

9/16/2018 04:00:29 pm

Kaepernick was right to fight racism, but he was told multiple times that instead he was disrespecting those who fought for our country. In a way, it was almost as if he was trying to put racism above those fighting for our freedom. There were better ways to support and promote the end to racism than the flag.

Bailey

9/16/2018 07:38:49 pm

I agree with your initial statement. However, I believe that him continuously kneeling even after realizing what he was disrespecting has greatly dishonoured our troops and our country. It may not have been his initial intention, but it quickly became such, at least in regards to disrespecting our police force. To the point even, that he was wearing clothing saying things similar to “screw the police”.

Sariah

9/16/2018 07:54:18 pm

It is interesting to see in all of these comments how each of you mentioned him continuously disrespecting by kneeling. I have not researched it enough to know if he ever gave a sincere apology for it and tried to change the negativity that came from it to positivity. It is hard to believe though he was that oblivious to what would happen if he did it. I feel like as I stated in my post that almost any human apart of a country would know that as disrepectful actions and people would take it as such.

Katherine

9/16/2018 03:54:41 pm

I don't think Kaepernick should have kneeled during the national anthem. I understand his reasoning behind it, but he was in the NFL and I believe that professional athletes should be held to a higher standard. They need to show respect, and stand together in an event that is supposed to bring people together instead of creating sides. Yes the kneeling was to protest racism, but, it really hasn't changed anything in our country. All it has created is a nationwide controversy. It wasn't Kaepernick's intentions to be disrespecting the troops of our country, but the national anthem is where citizens pay their respects and to kneel during that shows disrespect. It's distracting and overall not a productive way to promote a cause.

Mckinlee

9/16/2018 05:41:18 pm

Don’t quote me on this but I’ve heard that Kaepernick (or maybe some other football player?) had asked a vet about wether or not kneeling is disrespectful and that particular veteran said that it’s almost better because you kneel to pray and such. I think there’s a lot of opinions out there and no one is going to get a right or wrong answer you know?

Sadie

9/16/2018 06:33:49 pm

That's what I was thinking. When I first heard about this, I was thinking, "Oh kneeling? What's wrong with that?" I honestly didn't know that it was a disrespectful thing to do. Once I understood that he was protesting though I thought "umm please don't disrespect our country. It's done more good than you think."

Challis

9/16/2018 06:29:17 pm

I agree. His reason for protest is valid but the way he went about it was wrong. He probably could have found better ways to get his point acrossed that would have made more progress than this.

Conrad Dougherty

9/16/2018 05:18:41 pm

While Kaepernick has the ability to kneel during the national anthem (due to our excellent constitution) I still firmly believe it was the wrong action to take. His idea of protesting was solid, but not is way of execution. His actions served to separate the U. S. rather than unify under one cause. It was also sign of disrespect, especially in my eyes, to the very thing that allowed him to do the action in the first place. It was our armed forces that gave us the freedom we have now, I think if Kaepernick joined the army, went out on the front lines for a deployment then he would be justified for such actions.

Brooke

9/16/2018 05:53:32 pm

You bring up an interesting point; how different would the entire situation be if Kaepernick had previously enlisted in the army? If he still would have kneeled in that context, would he gain a social understanding because of his personal experience serving, or would there be even more of a blow up? This example proves how actions do, in fact, speak louder than words-- but one must be aware of how an action will be interpreted.

Jazz-Lynn Grant

9/16/2018 06:27:00 pm

I agree with you. No matter what a person is protesting, the execution is key. Whatever the topic of protest is, it becomes meaningless if presented in a disrespectful way, even if it wasn't intended to be. How do you think Kaepernick's views on kneeling during the anthem would be affected if he were enlisted?

Jazz-Lynn Grant

9/16/2018 06:18:52 pm

I believe that there were rights or wrongs to Kaepernick's protesting. I agree with the goal of targeting racial injustices, but the way he carried it out could easily be taken as disrespectful. Peaceful protesting is an effective and powerful tool, if used at the right time and place, and most Americans would agree that during the anthem is not it. Many people focus on the flaws of Kaepernick's protesting rather than the principal point, especially since he continued to kneel after people expressed their agitation. The right to free speech wouldn't even exist if it weren't for our troops, so I completely understand the reason for frustration and contempt towards him. Some other peaceful protests on racial injustice are associated with Kaepernick's kneeling, and aren't taken as a serious matter because of it. If someone is attempting to make a change in a nation, disrespecting a tradition held dear to the country in the process is likely to end with completely different and negative results. I don't view this specific protest as a necessary step towards equality, but I believe he was standing, or rather kneeling for an important matter.

Rachel

9/16/2018 06:40:30 pm

I completely agree that what he is kneeling for is important. We all know that racial inequality is still very prevalent in our society today. But, I agree that his protest has not done much except draw attention. What do you think is a necessary step towards equality? Is he just creating drama or is his peaceful protest drawing the right kind of attention?

Sadie

9/16/2018 06:43:00 pm

Kneeling was a drastic step to take and he probably shouldn't have done it. Steps for racial equality have already come so tremendously far and we should praise that. The end will never be in sight though if we keep constantly stirring things up.

Bailey

9/16/2018 06:19:33 pm

Do I agree with his actions? No. I absolutely do not. It is not only disrespectful to the flag, it’s disrespectful to our country, the people who have died for our country, the veterans who have served, and to the people who are currently serving our country. As a daughter of veteran parents, I take a lot of pride in my country and I view his actions as completely disrespectful. However, what he decided to kneel for, I completely agree with, and I will defend his right to protest in that way until I die. But that does not mean I agree with what he did. I question his motivation behind it. He grew up in a white family. He has never experienced police brutality firsthand, so the person who did it, I don’t think should have.

Sadie

9/16/2018 06:21:02 pm

I do not have a very strong opinion about this question. I do, however, think that disrespecting the flag in anyway is very wrong. I believe Kaepernick was protesting against the "corrupt" US as whole when it should have been aimed at the people who do nothing about racial inequality. He had intentions of getting peoples' attention, and yeah, it worked. I honestly have no idea what his thoughts are now but he got the attention he asked for. But a peaceful solution is not an option if you decide to kneel during the national anthem. He should have realized that. It only made everyone settle deeper into their opinions, whether left or right.

Rachel

9/16/2018 06:37:29 pm

That is a very good point Sadie. His actions really have not done anything to sway people’s opinions one way or the other. The only thing it has done is create more drama. I wonder what he really wants accomplished here?

Rachel

9/16/2018 06:29:27 pm

Personally, I feel that Colin Kaepernick’s actions are disrespectful. I believe that we should honor our flag and the men and women who fight to protect it. Kaepernick, having the platform that he does, could have used his fame and protested against racial inequality in a different way that would not be disrespectful to his country. But, I do agree that racial inequality is still definitely prevalent in our society today. I think that Nike signing Kaepernick was definitely meant to stir the pot so to speak. They wanted to create a wave, and their sales showed it. The sales dropped at first and then went up a substantial amount after the fact. I love that Kaepernick is using his fame to advocate for something that he cares strongly about, but I think that he could have done so in a more respectful way.

Bailey

9/16/2018 07:30:18 pm

I completely agree with you. Nike’s involvement and signing with him, not right. He never had to sacrifice anything. Sacrifice is the men and women who have died for our country. Sacrifice is the firefighters who run into burning buildings and save people. Sacrifice is the parents working multiple jobs so that their children have a better chance at life than they did. Nike’s slogan is good, as a whole, but considering that Kaepernick never had to sacrifice anything, they chose the wrong person to use it with.

Sariah

9/16/2018 07:44:57 pm

I believe that Colin Kaepernick’s actions were impulsive in a way. If he truly was trying to make a change for racial equality he should have realized that the actions he took would create a greater problem then any kind of solution at all. With the amount of fame he had being apart of the NFL he could have come up with a well thought out solution instead of creating a problem. Almost any American or citizen knows that there would be a great negative response that would come from kneeling during our nations anthem. I mean honestly one of the first words all of us would think if someone was not standing would be disrespect.

"Just Do It" or Do Not (Jesse B.)

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