Two years later, Nike’s Colin Kaepernick ad an even bigger ......the magazine even launched the...

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Two years later, Nike’s Colin Kaepernickad an even bigger success, poll shows

2 By Daniel Kaplan 27m ago

To open the 2018 NFL season, Nike ran its now-famous Colin Kaepernick ad,featuring the out-of-work quarterback and cultural icon talking about crazydreams as world-class athletes flitted across the screen. At the time, the adprovoked an intense reaction, with some Americans having deeply negativeimpressions of Nike and calling for boycotts of the swoosh. Burning of Nikegear became a thing, though not necessarily widespread (and Nike salesimproved in the months after the ad).

Kaepernick of course had been unemployed since after the 2016 season, inwhich he kneeled during the national anthem to protest incidents of policebrutality and racial inequality. The following season, President Donald Trumpattacked Kaepernick’s peers who also kneeled, saying at a September 2017political rally, “get that son of a bitch off the field right now.” That created afirestorm that arguably depressed NFL TV ratings nearly 10 percent and madekneeling during the anthem, to some, an unpatriotic act.

In 2018 after the Nike ad ran, The Harris Poll surveyed Americans and foundthat about one in five had a negative perception of Nike because of thecommercial, and 21 percent said they would boycott Nike. Some NFL teamsquietly messaged that signing Kaepernick would be bad for business, and createa distraction with a media circus.

What has changed since Black Lives Matter protests swept across the country,gaining sharp increases in popularity after African American George Floyddied while in the custody of Minneapolis police? The Harris Poll last weeksurveyed the same Kaepernick/Nike ad questions to find out. The polling outfitplans to release on Monday results that show a swing of public approval towardKaepernick and Nike as well.

The Harris Poll CEO John Gerzema has a message for the NFL about hiringKaepernick, saying “looking at this data, and I’m not the NFL commissioner orNike CEO, but I know what guy we would hire and what ad I’d run.”

In September 2018 when Harris polled Americans, 17 percent of respondentsafter the Nike ad reported negative attitudes toward the brand. When Harriswent back last week and asked 2,200 Americans, only 9 percent are now in thatcategory.

“That’s nearly half as many people viewing it that way,” Gerzmea said. “And Ithink kind of what was interesting is that at the time, you had almost a third ofAmericans, particularly seniors, 34 percent, saying that they would boycott ornot buy Nike products. You probably remember at the time, people were sayingthey were going to burn their shoes and a bonfire and stuff on Facebook likethat. But today that’s now 18 percent, even among seniors, so we kind of seethis broader-based inclusion effect happening. Even conservatives, they said 41percent in 2018, and now they’re saying 24 percent would boycott.”

In October 2017, Kaepernick filed a grievance against the NFL for allegedlyblackballing him (under the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement, disputeslike his are shuttled to arbitration, instead of a courtroom, first). In February2019 he reached a settlement with the NFL that the Wall Street Journal laterreported was for less than $10 million.

The settlement did not preclude Kaepernick from playing again, though awidely publicized league orchestrated workout last November flopped overarguments over waivers and other subjects.

Many in the NFL at the time said they were ready to move on after the tryoutfiasco, but now the issue of why a quarterback of Kaepernick’s caliber remainsunsigned appears front and center again. Players like Baker Mayfield, andcoaches such as the Houston Texans’ Bill O’Brien have said they will take aknee, making it hard to argue Kaepernick’s kneeling would stand out. And theSeattle Seahawks’ Pete Carroll, who had Kaepernick in for a workout in 2017,said last week he had been contacted by a team about the quarterback.

A legal representative for Kaepernick declined to comment when asked aboutthe glowing Harris numbers.

Trump is again voicing his displeasure over the prospect of kneeling in theNFL. Three years ago that was more than enough to scare the NFL, many ofwhose owners have been tight with the president. Given the major shift inpublic opinion, and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell’s video statementadmitting the league was wrong for not approving of the players’ peacefulprotests, Trump’s declaration does not appear as threatening as it did in 2017.

While Goodell has always said it is the team’s decision, and not his, to signKaepernick, a former Super Bowl quarterback, 61 percent in the Harris pollsaid the league’s top executive owes an apology to the former San Francisco49er.

In the years after Kaepernick last played, a drumbeat in NFL business circleswas he would be bad for business. TV ratings fell 9.7 percent in 2017, andTrump convinced his base that kneeling during the national anthem was a signof disrespect. Club executives worried about fans, especially in red states, tuningout.

Given coronavirus social gathering restrictions, the NFL this season is justtrying to get some fans into stadiums and hardly worrying about spectatorsstaying away because of opposition to kneeling during the anthem.

As it pertains to the NFL’s response to the protests and racial awakening, TheHarris Poll respondents gave the NFL a mixed response. While 69 percentsupported Goodell’s statement condemning racism and the oppression of blackpeople in America, 66 percent also replied in another poll section thecomments felt insincere and they are just doing it for publicity.

“What we are seeing is a lot of olive branches being handed out right now inAmerica,” Gerzema said of corporate statements like the NFL’s. “This is aconversation that’s happening in America right now. And we see that in all ourdata. I think back in 2018, the Colin Kaepernick ad, was framed, you know, (as)division and disrespect. And now it symbolizes unity and inclusion. It’s like thestart of a conversation. And that’s just my judgment looking at the data. But Ithink we see that across the board, in our broader data when you’re looking atshould we reform the police, is there systemic racism in America, you’re justseeing a shift, a really substantial shift.”

(Photo: Carmen Mandato / Getty Images)

Daniel Kaplan spent 21 years at SportsBusiness Journal, helping create beforethe magazine even launched the leading industry publication for sports businessnews. He left in May 2019 to join The Athletic's sports business vertical. FollowDaniel on Twitter @KaplanSportsBiz.

2 C O M M E N T S

Add a comment...

Cedric H. 9m ago

I wonder if nike go sell riot gear?

Ashok T. 7m ago

Fake poll!

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