Nike Kaepernick Shoe A Sellout Success

Nike’s new shoe featuring former Quarterback Colin Kaepernick sold out on its first day, according to CNBC. The ‘True to 7’ shoe, this year’s installment of Nike’s Air Force 1 shoe, features Kaepernick’s image in an embroidered portrait on the shoe’s heel tab, as well as a reflective swoosh and Kaepernick’s logo on the tongue. It goes for $110.

Kaepernick was let go from the National Football League (NFL) after kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality and systemic racial injustice. In recent years, he has become a controversial figure in the U.S. A Nike spokesperson said that the shoe tied in with the Air Force 1 season, and that Kaepernick’s “voice and identity” connected with many people, inspiring many “on and off the field.”

Shares of Nike did not change much on Monday (Dec. 23), closing at $100. Its shares are up about 35 percent this year overall.

Nike’s partnership with Kaepernick has continued since earlier this year — when it attempted to roll out a Fourth of July-themed shoe featuring the “Betsy Ross” flag, which had 13 stars in a circle. Kaepernick voiced opposition to the shoe, saying it connected to the period of American history when slavery was legal. The Betsy Ross flag was flown during the American Revolution, but has also been seen by some as a symbol of white supremacy, as hate groups appropriated it. Reportedly due to Kaepernick’s opposition, Nike pulled the sneaker and asked retailers to return it.

Kaepernick has attracted controversy since his ousting from the NFL, including his allegation that the NFL conspired to keep him from playing football. In February, he reached a settlement to drop that allegation.

In 2018, Kaepernick was the face of Nike’s “Just Do It” ad campaign, as part of its 30^th anniversary for the slogan. His inclusion sparked ire from detractors, who launched a #BoycottNike hashtag. Nike’s shares took a 3 percent hit, but online sales surged afterward, and the ad won an Emmy. The company’s value eventually grew by $6 billion after the ad. Market strategists said the move was a good one, as people vote with their wallets — and had evidently, mostly, sided with Nike.