Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock you’ve probably heard about the backlash Nike has received over choosing former pro Quarterback turned political activist Colin Kaepernick as the face of their “Just Do It” campaign. Since then people have been burning their Nike shoes and cutting the famous swosh off of their socks. (Why not just like…buy new socks instead? Who wants to wear socks with the brand cut off?) The mayor of Kenner, Louisiana decided to go one step further and released a memorandum banning Nike in his town.
WTF Is This memo?
Kenner’s Mayor Zahn sent a memo to Leslie Knope The Department of Parks and Recreation stating, “Under no circumstances will any Nike product or any product with the Nike logo be purchased for use or delivery at any City of Kenner Recreation Facility.” This memo was never meant for the public to see (pro tip: every memo is a public memo now that the internet exists) but it was made public just days after its September 5th release. Cue a bunch of angry towns people, but minus the pitch forks and sub in some New Orleans Saints players repping Nike to support the town. Mayor Zahn claims that he did it to ensure that the taxpayer dollars weren’t going to be supporting a politically charged campaign, so that their money can be neutral. Nice try at a coverup, bro. Sadly for Mayor Zahn, the town cannot stop people from wearing their own Nike apparel in public, talk about freedom!
Why Are People Pissed?
In case you look forward to Sunday’s for Kardashian episodes and not football, Kaepernick is now known for taking a knee during the National Anthem at a preseason game while on the 49ers. That is how the whole debate over whether or not it is unpatriotic to protest during the National Anthem by peacefully taking a knee got started. The Mayor of Kenner has spoken out against the movement (he literally goes to football games and yells “IN KENNER WE STAND FOR THE ANTHEM!”) so no one is surprised that he was upset with Nike’s Kaepernick campaign. That Mayor Kenner clearly has no f*cking chill.
Why Are Players Taking A Knee?
The trend of kneeling in protest during the National Anthem started, but most certainly has not ended, with Kaeperknick. The act is meant to call attention to the rapid rate at which young black men are being killed at the hands of police forces in America. Now the issue has been turned into a b*tch slap in the face to the armed forces and America as a whole, despite the fact that the protest has literally nothing to do with the armed forces at all. While Kaeperknick may have landed the Nike campaign, he first had to give up his football career to stand by his beliefs. He refused to stand and the NFL ultimately black listed him, giving us some serious Rosa Parks vibes. The debate over this act has bubbled into elections and Texas’s Democratic Senate Candidate, Beto (pronounced “bae-to”)O’Rourke has the best answer to this divisive topic. Watch out Lyin’ [Ted] Cruz!
Either way, Nike has made cash money since the campaign released even if stocks have taken a hit. As far as Kenner is concerned members of the City Council are looking to reverse the memo and chances are it won’t last long.
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