The Nike Boycott

If you have a phone or any presence on social media at all, you’ve probably seen a video of someone burning their shoes or clothing and to be more specific, Nike clothing.

Nike’s new advertising campaign puts ex-NFL quarterback turned political activist Colin Kaepernick on center stage, now most famously known for his protests in which he kneels during the National Anthem before his football games to protest the police brutality on African Americans.

The Nike advertisement has inspired people across the country to post videos of themselves burning their attire or removing the logo from their particular piece of Nike clothing. People have also used this as an opportunity to voice their opinion on why Nike should have chosen a different path. Licking Valley Senior Seth Thompson responded to my question about whether he will still wear Nike apparel by saying that he “can't wear Nike because [he] doesn't stand for the message behind it” and added that he has “been making the transition to Under Armour.” In addition to the backlash that they've received, Nike’s new campaign also received a bit of love for their decision. Some fans of the decision posted pictures of receipts and voiced their admiration of Nike for staying true to their values regardless of what the critics say.

Initially after Nike released their new campaign their stock began to drop which could have become troublesome if continued to do so. But instead of dropping more, the stock is actually “now up nearly 7 percent” according to NYPost. They've also “sold out 61 percent more merchandise” NYPost since the release of the advertisement. Many would have expected the company to suffer for their choice to take on such a hot topic but as we see that’s clearly not the case.