Nike's Colin Kaepernick 'Just Do It' Ad Airs During NFL Game

<p>Nike aired its first "Just Do It" ad narrated by Colin Kaepernick during the NFL football season opener between the Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles Thursday night. </p>

Friday, September 7th 2018, 2:20 am

By: News On 6

Nike's Colin Kaepernick 'Just Do It' Ad Airs During NFL Game

Nike aired its first "Just Do It" ad narrated by Colin Kaepernick during the NFL football season opener between the Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles Thursday night. The ad created a buzz online when Nike dropped on social media Wednesday. It was the first commercial break of the third quarter, running the entire two minutes.

The spot is part of Nike's "Dream Crazy" marketing campaign, which rolled out on the company's social feeds on Wednesday and which will air this week during the U.S. Open tennis tournament, as well as during Major League Baseball and college football games. It also will run online across various music, gaming and entertainment platforms, Nike said.

Nike's Colin Kaepernick "Just Do It" ad officially airs during NFL football game https://t.co/upfCLsMFwM pic.twitter.com/qvS8VnZ0Ap
— CBS News (@CBSNews) September 7, 2018

President Trump on Wednesday criticized Nike, blasting the sports giant and the NFL in a tweet. "Just like the NFL, whose ratings have gone WAY DOWN, Nike is getting absolutely killed with anger and boycotts," he said on Twitter.

Just like the NFL, whose ratings have gone WAY DOWN, Nike is getting absolutely killed with anger and boycotts. I wonder if they had any idea that it would be this way? As far as the NFL is concerned, I just find it hard to watch, and always will, until they stand for the FLAG!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 5, 2018

The company's stock price has dipped since some customers burned and defaced their Nike shoes in protest over the Kaepernick ad, but overall the shares are up nearly 28 percent this year.

The two-minute spot released Wednesday highlights superstar athletes LeBron James, Serena Williams and others, and touches on the controversy of NFL players protesting racial inequality, police brutality and other issues by demonstrating during the national anthem.

Kaepernick narrates the full spot but first physically appears midway through. As a camera pans to reveal Kaepernick's face, a reflection of a United States flag is reflected on the facade of a building behind him.

Kaepernick says: "Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything."

The former 49ers quarterback is revealed as the narrator toward the end of the spot.

The spot's universal theme is about athletes pushing for bigger dreams. It features young athletes who compete amid various challenges, touching on issues of gender, disabilities and weight loss, among others.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Just like the NFL, whose ratings have gone WAY DOWN, Nike is getting absolutely killed with anger and boycotts. I wonder if they had any idea that it would be this way? As far as the NFL is concerned, I just find it hard to watch, and always will, until they stand for the FLAG!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 5, 2018

The company's stock price has dipped since some customers burned and defaced their Nike shoes in protest over the Kaepernick ad, but overall the shares are up nearly 28 percent this year.

Kaepernick says: "Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything."

The former 49ers quarterback is revealed as the narrator toward the end of the spot.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

","published":"2018-09-07T07:20:28.000Z","updated":"2018-09-07T07:36:21.000Z","summary":"

Nike aired its first "Just Do It" ad narrated by Colin Kaepernick during the NFL football season opener between the Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles Thursday night.

","affiliate":{"_id":"5c784a0c4961cb23ad330098","callSign":"kotv","origin":"https://www.newson6.com"},"contentClass":"news","createdAt":"2020-02-01T19:59:17.088Z","updatedAt":"2022-03-31T19:44:48.286Z","__v":2,"breakingNews":[],"entities":[{"_id":"62421a996880e45323a29d1b","text":"Colin Kaepernick","type":"PERSON","__v":0},{"_id":"6244c6c16880e45323b146fc","text":"Donald J. Trump","type":"PERSON","__v":0},{"_id":"62421a9c6880e45323a2a1f0","text":"LeBron James","type":"PERSON","__v":0},{"_id":"62421a9c6880e45323a2a1e4","text":"Serena Williams","type":"PERSON","__v":0},{"_id":"623c6dfb6880e45323149e32","text":"United States","type":"LOCATION","__v":0},{"_id":"624219f96880e45323a173ad","text":"Nike","type":"ORGANIZATION","__v":0},{"_id":"62421adc6880e45323a32165","text":"Atlanta Falcons","type":"ORGANIZATION","__v":0},{"_id":"62421c0c6880e45323a54988","text":"Philadelphia Eagles","type":"ORGANIZATION","__v":0},{"_id":"6239a3646880e45323427501","text":"Associated Press","type":"ORGANIZATION","__v":0}],"hasBeenCheckedForEntities":true,"openInNewWindow":false,"show":true,"link":"/story/5e35d8952f69d76f6201a63d/nikes-colin-kaepernick-just-do-it-ad-airs-during-nfl-game","hasSchedule":false,"id":"5e35d8952f69d76f6201a63d"};