Since Nike unveiled its new ad campaign with ex-NFL player Colin Kaepernick, millennial stock-trading app Robinhood says its users have been buying the sports apparel company’s stock three times more than they’re selling, up from 12% last week.
The NFL has issued a statement supporting Nike's decision to make former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick a face of Nike's "Just Do It" ad campaign, saying they "embrace the role and responsibility of everyone involved with this game."
"The National Football League believes in dialogue, understanding and unity. We embrace the role and responsibility of everyone involved with this game to promote meaningful, positive change in our communities... The social justice issues that Colin and other professional athletes have raised deserve our attention and action."
— Jocelyn Moore, NFL's executive vice president of communications and public affairs
In the day since Nike announced former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick would be the face of its 30th anniversary slogan, the company profited $43 million worth of media exposure despite public backlash, according to Apex Marketing, Bloomberg reports.
The trend: The media buzz has been neutral to positive, per Apex, unlike the largely negative backlash seen on Twitter.
Dan discusses Nike's controversial decision to add Colin Kaepernick as a face of the company, and is joined by ESPN sports business reporter Darren Rovell. In the "Final Two," Dan talks about big tech heading to Capitol Hill and two Reuters reporters getting arrested in Myanmar.
Shares of Nike, Inc. fell more than 2% in early trading after the company announced Colin Kaepernick, who sparked a movement among NFL athletes by protesting racial inequalities during the national anthem, as one of the faces of its "Just Do It" ad campaign.
Why it matters: Nike is already losing ground to rival Adidas, and investors fear the company's decision to feature Kaepernick might make things worse. Nike is already facing backlash on Twitter — with some customers posting videos of burning Nike products.
Colin Kaepernick has become the face of Nike's "Just Do It" ad campaign as the company celebrates the 30th anniversary of the slogan, ESPN's Darren Rovell reports.
Why it matters: Kaepernick is one of the most polarizing figures in sports. The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback has not played in the NFL since 2016, and is currently suing league owners for blackballing him because of his protests against racial inequality in the United States.
