(VIDEO IN EXTENDED ARTICLE)
A video showing a self described Yeshiva Bochur burning his Nike sneakers has gone viral.
The young man said he was protesting Nike’s decision to feature controversial ex-NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick in an ad campaign, despite the athlete’s well-known stance of kneeling during the playing of the National Anthem at football games.
Twitter account “@AlterAtYeshiva” posted the video with the caption: @Nike Due to your support of C.K. in your coming adds, I as an American can no longer support your company. #boycottNike #IStandForOurFlag
The video has over 3.5 million views, and has been shared on many national news websites in articles about the Nike ad campaign.
.@Nike Due to your support of C.K. in your coming adds, I as an American can no longer support your company. #boycottNike #IStandForOurFlag pic.twitter.com/5JxSMD8SSO
— AlterAtYeshiva (@alteratyeshiva) September 4, 2018
On Wednesday, President Trump took to twitter to slam Nike:
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 5, 2018
Colin Kaepernick will be featured in Nike’s 30th anniversary “Just Do It” campaign, announced just days before the NFL season is set to begin
People are destroying their @Nike products in response pic.twitter.com/wcpnibBbUv
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) September 4, 2018
Also Wednesday, Nike unveiled its first “Just Do It” ad narrated by Kaepernick, a spot scheduled to air during the NFL season opener Thursday night as well as during the U.S. Open tennis tournament and other major sporting events.
The two-minute spot released 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 visible on the facade of a building behind him.
Kaepernick says: “Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything.”
Nike releases ‘just do it’ commercial featuring Colin Kaepernick; ad set to air before Thursday night’s NFL season opener
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) September 5, 2018
At the start of the ad, Kaepernick says: “If people say your dreams are crazy, if they laugh at what you think you can do, good. Stay that way, because what nonbelievers fail to understand is that calling a dream crazy is not an insult, it’s a compliment.”
The former 49ers quarterback is revealed as the narrator toward the end of the spot.
The commercial’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.
Kaepernick says at the end: “Don’t ask if your dreams are crazy. Ask if they are crazy enough.”
The spot is expected to air this week during college football and MLB games, and stream on various music, gaming and other platforms, Nike spokeswoman Sandra Carreon-John said.
[RELATED – Nike Stock Down 3 Percent After It Gets Political With Kaepernick Ad]
Kaepernick hasn’t spoken to the media publicly since opting out of his contract with San Francisco and becoming a free agent in 2017. He scored a legal victory last week in his grievance against the NFL and its 32 teams when an arbitrator allowed his case to continue to trial. The quarterback claims NFL team owners conspired to keep him out of the league because of his protests. His case hinges on whether owners worked together rather than decided individually to not sign Kaepernick.
A similar grievance is still pending by former San Francisco teammate Eric Reid, a Pro Bowl safety who joined in the protests.
Kaepernick already had a deal with Nike that was set to expire, but it was renegotiated into a multiyear agreement to make him one of the faces of Nike’s 30th anniversary “Just Do It” campaign, according to a person familiar with the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity because details of the detail had not been revealed publicly.
The campaign includes video ads and billboards, like one displayed atop a Nike store in downtown San Francisco on Wednesday.
Nike also will create an apparel line for Kaepernick, including a signature shoe, and contribute to his Know Your Rights charity, the person said. The deal puts Kaepernick in the top bracket of NFL players with Nike.
The endorsement deal between Nike and Kaepernick prompted a flood of debate Tuesday. It 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 and cutting out the signature swoosh logos on their gear.
“I stand for anybody that believes in change. I stand for anybody that believes in a positive attitude,” LeBron James said Tuesday night at a Nike fashion show and awards ceremony in New York. “I stand with Nike, every day, all day.”
Nike also provides all NFL teams with game day uniforms and sideline apparel, a partnership that was extended in March to run through 2028.
The College of the Ozarks, a private Christian school in Point Lookout, Missouri, that competes in sports at the NAIA level, said it will remove all uniforms purchased from Nike that contain the brand’s logo.
Last year, the college added a stipulation to competition contracts, saying it would walk away from any game where the opposing team takes a knee, sits or turns its back on the flag or anthem.
“If Nike is ashamed of America, we are ashamed of them,” College of the Ozarks President Jerry C. Davis said in a statement. “We also believe that those who know what sacrifice is all about are more likely to be wearing a military uniform than an athletic uniform.”
(AP / Nat Golden – YWN)
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15 Responses
Who has 5 pairs of sneakers and can afford to burn them? The yeshiva should ask this young man’s parents for more tuition.
Shame on this bucher. Then we cry, why do the goyim hate us
Perhaps Nike makes their product using idolatrous material from India.
Holala what r u saying ? He’s defending the US flag.
Kneeling signifies idolatry when done for flags, idols, people, false gods, statues etc.
Even when they say it is “protest”.
Has Nike committed high treason ?
If so then well done for burning the shoes
Alright everyone, lets just chill out. Stop judging people. The news always shows us stuff like this, there’s no reason to judge anyone because of that. Let’s observe, not judge. Just sharing my thoughts here, please don’t take anything personal, I’m not intending to attack anyone or insult anyone personally.
To yaakov doe: With complete respect, who cares ‘who has 5 pairs of sneakers and can afford to burn them’! Do you know how he got them? Were they purchased for only a few dollars from a thrift store so he could make this video? Were they already too small on him? Why should the yeshiva ask his parents for more tuition? Are the parents at fault here? Even if this guy did something irresponsible, which we cannot say for sure, who said the parents authorized it? Who said the parents have any money at all? In fact, how do you know this boy isn’t a yasom? We know nothing about the situation and even if we did Hashem judges all situations, we don’t need to.
To Holala: I disagree that one teenager burning a few pairs of shoes is why the goyim hate us. The goyim have hated us for a lot longer than nike has been around, longer than sports shoes have been around, and longer than viral videos have been around. I agree that this isn’t the best PR image for Judaism but still, i don’t think this is much of a reason why they hate us.
To unommin: I love it! You remind me of the Rogatchover, always giving a great reason why his actions make sense.
To ready now: In this case the kneeling wasn’t done for a flag, idol, person, false god, or statue. It was actually done as disrespect to the flag in order to bring attention to a social cause. I strongly disagree that the kneeling in this case was anything related to idolatry.
Holala
September 5, 2018 10:10 pm at 10:10 pm
Shame on this bucher. Then we cry, why do the goyim hate us.
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Shame on you for not speaking out when the mea shearimnicks burn garbage bins , letting out all those toxic fumes. Shame on you for not speaking out when those phony rabanim burnt laptops and iphoned. Shame on you for being a class A hypocrite.
I’d rather see him burning his sneakers as part of a Nike protest, then a viral video of him throwing those same sneakers across the beis medrash at the “other faction” of the Yeshiva.
Is it NIKE?
They are just a product of the Corporate System
Nike was named after the goddess of speed and strength.
DISCOVER ‘H : You may “strongly disagree” but the fact remains that even “unintentionally” their actions are patently are
those of idol worship, avoda zara. They chose how to protest, what to protest, as there are many different numerous other causes that they could have also chosen to protest, but it is the “method” of protest the stands out, and the true overt meaning of the repercussions of their betrayal overrides their intent.
What next?? burning your streimlach to protest animal cruelty during kaporos???
It is wrong to waste useful clothing, and it is bad for the environment to burn it.