By Alex Kurtz
Sports Editor
Public service announcement to all people burning their Nike gear in protest of former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick being the face of a new Nike advertising campaign: they do not care one bit.
I have been a sports fan all my life and I have never understood the concept of burning your own gear in protest of something that happened. People burned their LeBron James jerseys the first time he left Cleveland. Now social media has turned once again on Kaepernick, who has always been hot topic since he decided to kneel for the National Anthem to the dismay of many Americans across the country. I have to say though, their response made me laugh.
People started to burn their Nike gear in protest of this campaign, and I can tell you right now that anyone who decided to do that to “stick it to the man” is an outright idiot.
Not only does Nike, a multibillion dollar enterprise not care what some 50-year old guy does to his beat-to-death running shoes, but now your out that pair of shoes because you burned them because of a man on an advertisement. It is comical.
On top of this, Kaepernick has done nothing but help underdeveloped communities since he has been an NFL free agent, and people are yet still mad at this man because he kneeled during the anthem.
To be honest with you, there was a time where I agreed with people against him. I was mad at Kaepernick for doing what he did. Looking at everything this man has done since he peacefully protested though, I not only cannot be mad at him, but I respect him more so than when he was leading the 49ers to the Super Bowl.
He gave up everything to fight for what he believed in, even if it meant losing what he worked so hard to accomplish in the NFL. He was an allpro, and very nearly a Super Bowl-winning quarterback. Now that is all gone because he took a stand.
All I have to say is that if you cared about issues as much as you cared about Nike putting Kaepernick on an advertisement, you might make a difference in your community as well.
Go ahead and keep your burning your gear because in the end, you are the one losing out.
