The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014, September 05, 2018, Page Page 7, Image 7

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    September 5, 2018 The Skanner Page 7
Arts & Entertainment
Colin Kaepernick’s Nike Deal Prompts Flurry of Debate Online
By Rob Maaddi
AP Pro Football Writer
n
endorsement
deal between Nike
and Colin Kaeper-
nick is prompting
a flood of debate online
as sports fans react to the
apparel giant backing
an athlete known main-
ly for starting a wave
of protests among NFL
players of police brutal-
ity, racial inequality and
other social issues.
The deal unveiled by
TWITTER VIA AP
A
pushed back, saying the
backlash against Nike
showed the polarizing
debate has morphed well
beyond whether NFL
players should be al-
lowed to demonstrate for
social causes while the
national anthem plays in
stadiums before games.
Country music star
John Rich tweeted a pic-
ture of one of his crew
members holding the
tops of a cut pair of Nike
socks, with the caption:
“Get ready @Nike multi-
This image taken from the Twitter account of the former National
Football League player Colin Kaepernick shows a Nike advertisement
featuring him that was posted Monday, Sept. 3, 2018. Kaepernick
already had a deal with Nike that was set to expire, but it was
renegotiated into a multi-year deal to make him one of the faces of
Nike’s 30th anniversary “Just Do It” campaign, according to a person
familiar with the contract. (Twitter via AP)
Nike and the former San
Francisco 49ers quar-
terback was a trending
topic on Twitter and
other social networks,
with some fans urging a
boycott of the company’s
clothes and sneakers —
even burning cutting out
the signature swoosh lo-
gos on their gear. Others
ply that by the millions.”
The tweet garnered
about 10,000 retweets
and 30,000 likes, plus
thousands of critical
comments.
Rich, part of the duo
Big & Rich and a former
contestant of President
Donald Trump’s real-
ity show “The Celebri-
2019
THE SKANNER
FOUNDATION
SCHOLARSHIPS
APPLICATIONS
ARE OPEN
ty Apprentice,” said he
supported the right to
protest but Nike lost
his support when it en-
dorsed Kaepernick.
Trump, a frequent
critic of protesting NFL
players, did not weigh in
Tuesday morning even
though he has loudly
urged the league to sus-
pend or fire players who
demonstrate during the
anthem, repeatedly div-
ing into what has devel-
oped into one of the most
contentious debates in
the sports world.
Kaepernick’s
attor-
ney Mark Geragos an-
nounced the endorse-
ment deal on Twitter,
calling Kaepernick an
“All American Icon.”
Kaepernick also posted
a Nike ad featuring his
face and wrote: “Believe
in something, even if it
means sacrificing ev-
erything. (Hashtag) Just-
DoIt”
Kaepernick
already
had a deal with Nike that
was set to expire, but it
was renegotiated into a
multiyear deal to make
him one of the faces of
Nike’s 30th anniversary
“Just Do It” campaign,
according to a person
familiar with the con-
tract. The person spoke
to The Associated Press
on condition of anonym-
ity because Nike hasn’t
officially announced the
contract.
The person said Nike
will feature Kaepernick
on several platforms, in-
cluding billboards, tele-
vision commercials and
online ads. Nike also will
create an apparel line
for Kaepernick and con-
tribute to his Know Your
Rights charity, the per-
son said. The deal puts
Kaepernick in the top
bracket of NFL players
Application Deadline:
October 31, 2018
For more information and
to download The Skanner
Foundation scholarship
application, go to
www.theskanner.com/
foundation/scholarship
Scholarships will be awarded
at the Martin Luther King, Jr.
Breakfast on January 21, 2019.
with Nike.
Nike also provides all
NFL teams with game-
day uniforms and side-
line apparel, a partner-
ship that was extended
in March to run through
2028.
Last week, Kaepernick
scored a legal victory
in his grievance against
the NFL and its 32 teams
when an arbitrator al-
lowed his case to contin-
ue to trial. The quarter-
back claims that owners
conspired to keep him
out of the league because
of his protests of social
injustice.
Kaepernick contends
the owners violated their
collective
bargaining
agreement with play-
ers by conspiring to
keep him off teams. His
case hinges on whether
owners worked togeth-
er rather than decided
individually to not sign
Kaepernick.
A similar grievance is
still pending by former
49ers teammate Eric
Reid, a Pro Bowl safety
who joined in the pro-
tests.
On
Friday
night,
Kaepernick and Reid,
also now out of the
league, were each given
huge ovations when they
were introduced and
shown on the big screen
AP PHOTO/TED S. WARREN, FILE
Kaepernick had a deal with the apparel company that was set to
expire, but it was renegotiated with embattled company’s revived
‘Just Do It’ campaign
In this Sept. 25, 2016, file photo, San Francisco 49ers’ Colin Kaepernick
kneels during the national anthem before an NFL football game
against the Seattle Seahawks, in Seattle. Kaepernick has a new deal
with Nike, even though the NFL does not want him. Kaepernick’s
attorney, Mark Geragos, made the announcement on Twitter, calling
the former 49ers quarterback an “All American Icon” and crediting
attorney Ben Meiselas for getting the deal done.
during a match between
Serena and Venus Wil-
liams at the U.S. Open.
Meanwhile, the league
and players union still
haven’t resolved whether
players will be punished
this season if they choose
to kneel or demonstrate
during the national an-
them. Owners approved
a policy requiring play-
ers to stand if they are on
the sideline during “The
Star-Spangled Banner,”
allowing them to stay off
the field if they wish.
But the league and
union put that on hold
after the Miami Dolphins
faced backlash for clas-
sifying the protests as
conduct potentially det-
rimental to the team —
putting players at risk of
fines or suspensions.