Nike is sticking with their boy Colin Kaepernick. But, is this move terrible for business?

By: Jonathan Goad

By now, you have probably seen Nike’s new ad. It’s as divisive as any advertisement out there today.

Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything. #JustDoIt pic.twitter.com/SRWkMIDdaO

— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) September 3, 2018

For a further look at everything surrounding the ad and Kaep’s protest, check this out.

How will this continued partnership with Colin Kaepernick affect Nike?

Nike has been running new ads to support their 30th anniversary of the “Just Do It” campaign. Of course, they are using other athletes in this campaign, but Kaepernick has become the face.

You can take the superhero out of her costume, but you can never take away her superpowers. #justdoit pic.twitter.com/dDB6D9nzaD

— Nike (@Nike) August 25, 2018

Whether you side with Nike and Kaepernick or are against them, this move has already hurt Nike.

Just in a few days, Nike has taken a massive hit on the market. $3.75 billion huge!

#NikeBoycott is trending on Twitter with what appears as both sides using the hashtag.

Nike is one of the biggest clothing companies in the world, especially in the athletics department. There’s no doubt that they did their homework before rolling this ad out. They know it was a risk, but they are prepared for it.

Some people will love it and continue to purchase Nike goods. Others, however, will find their athletic needs elsewhere.

Nike has made a statement that they are siding with Kaep and (evidently) are okay with losing the same people who have boycotted the NFL.

Those same people caused a significant decrease in NFL viewership during the past few seasons. Nike appears to be alright with the same type of decline.

Some former Nike consumers have taken to burning their products and vowing to never buy Nike gear ever again. This seems a bit extreme, but we’ve seen countless jerseys burned when a player signs with another team so we shouldn’t be surprised.

Colin Kaepernick's Nike advert is a distraction, writes @_PaulHayward, his protest is bigger than any argument about shoes https://t.co/eRU3RuYX32 pic.twitter.com/3KYNQWM1fj

— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) September 4, 2018

Both sides of this issue have deep-seeded roots, but Nike has alienated some of their consumers.

Personally, I don’t know why a company would want to lose some of their valued customers. It seems like a bad move financially.

Nike isn’t hurting for money, but choosing a side in a controversial situation is just bad for business.

Boycotting Nike is probably something I wouldn’t do (I’m currently wearing Nike shoes and socks), but I can totally understand why some people are.

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There are apparently some significant issues in our country today, and taking sides is naturally going to happen.

Nike has taken their side. Maybe they need to point the swoosh the other way.

Photo Credit: Sole Collector

Or have they been hinting at this for a while?

Photo Credit: Genius