Different Points of View: The NFL Issue - Part 2

(We occasionally will present and contrast view points that differ in insight. From time to time we will feature them here. Please read the articles below) -Source-The Atlantic- Article 1: The Absurdist Spectacle of the Nike Boycotts Monday afternoon the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick tweeted a tightly cropped grayscale photo of his face emblazoned with a simple message: Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything." Below Kaepernicks lips the Nike logo accompanied the companys pithy slogan: Just do it." For Kaepernick the something" meriting a Sisyphean sacrifice has been addressing systemic racial injustice (most notably police brutality) a platform hes dedicated himself to advancing since he first began kneeling during the playing of the national anthem in the 2016 season. In the time since the anthem protests have become a much larger movement but the athlete behind them remains a much reviled figure even as he pledgedand then donatedmore than $1 million to 41 charitable organizations. The free agent was not offered a spot on any NFL teams roster last season and his collusion grievance against league ownersin which he alleges that NFL executives and owners alike conspired to keep him from playing because of his activismis ongoing. For Nike sacrifice is a market variable. The company has long partnered with athletes to advertise its shoes and apparel; because athletes are personas as much as they are professionals these deals trade on the value of their celebrity. Cashing in on Kaepernicks activism to bolster the gravitas of Just Do It" is a clever marketing tactic a way for Nike to access the social cachet of resistance efforts without altering its own corporate DNA. But in selecting Kaepernick as the face of its Just Do It" 30th-anniversary campaign Nike also angered the segment of its customer base that views the activist not as an intrepid spirit but as an uppity pariah. Immediately after Kaepernick tweeted the news indignant patriots began sharing footage of themselves (and others) destroying Nike gear (the videos even inspired parodies). Article 2: Trump: Nike sent a terrible message with Kaepernick ad -Source-CNBC- President Donald Trump told conservative website The Daily Caller on Tuesday that Nikes new ad campaign featuring former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick sent a terrible message. Nike announced on Monday that Kaepernick would be one of the faces of the companys 30th anniversary of its Just Do It campaign along with other athletes such as Serena Williams and LeBron James. Kaepernick has made headlines since 2016 when he did not stand for the national anthem during a preseason game initiating a wave of both similar protests as well as backlash. He is currently not signed to any NFL team after playing for the San Francisco 49ers for six seasons. I think its a terrible message and a message that shouldnt be sent Trump said in the interview. Theres no reason for it. Trump described Nike as a tenant of mine that pays a lot of rent. But the NikeTown store in New York City that the president was referencing is actually closed.