BECOME AN AFFILIATE OF T-SHIRT HELL AND MAKE SOME MONEY!
Name: Nike
Age: 54
Occupation: sports apparel maker
Last Seen: Beaverton, OR
Bee-otched For: just doing the wrong thing for publicity
Age: 54
Occupation: sports apparel maker
Last Seen: Beaverton, OR
Bee-otched For: just doing the wrong thing for publicity
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It's funny how the company named for the Greek goddess of victory created a publicity dud.
Yesterday, Nike unleashed a new ad featuring former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick that's supposed to be inspirational. The ad also features the Williams sisters, LeBron James and other athletes that are on the Nike payroll.
The ad honors the 30th anniversary of Nike's famous "Just Do It" slogan. Ah, yes, the days of when wearing $175 Air Jordan sneakers could make you jump as high as Michael Jordan himself... Not.
Anyway, many are attacking Nike for allowing Kaepernick to appear in the ad campaign, which has the saying "believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything". The former San Francisco 49er is currently suing the NFL because he hasn't played in two years. He was dropped by the 49ers in 2016 in part due to the controversy he started by kneeling while the National Anthem is playing. Kaepernick did so in protest of police brutality towards African Americans. Since then, many other athletes have joined in his protest, though the NFL did announce not long ago that they would fine any player for kneeling or not being present for the National Anthem.
Now granted, I totally agree that what the NFL is doing is unconstitutional. Nobody needs to be forced to stand for the National Anthem, especially if it violates their political or religious views. If people want to bash our government, they have the First Amendment right to do so. With Drumpf as president, that right is definitely needed.
However, despite that commercial, that inspirational message gets lost knowing the fact that, well, Nike is not a very nice company. Their CEO and founder, Phil Knight is worth over $25 billion and gives religiously to the (you guessed it) the Repukes. Not only that, Nike doesn't have any American plants. Those $175 Air Jordans were probably made in a sweatshop in Vietnam by a worker making pennies per hour with material that only takes a few bucks to make.
I'll never forget the scene in Michael Moore's "The Big One" where he actually visits Phil Knight at Nike headquarters. He asked Knight why Nike has no plants here in America, and his response was "nobody in America wants to make shoes". So, Mike goes to Flint, MI where he starts petitions for Nike to build a plant there. Thousands of people signed the petition, and guess what! Mike goes back to Beaverton with the petitions and a video with people telling him to start up Nike factories. Phil's response? He walks out of the room.
Since that movie was made, Nike is still making billions with hardly any American workers. Oh, wait! They have LeBron James, who used a part of his Nike bucks to build a school in Akron, OH for underprivileged kids. Nice, though it would be nicer if Nike had a plant or two in Akron to keep people working and off of welfare. Hell, what's sad is that Akron used to have a nice shopping mall, Rolling Acres and it closed a few years ago. Why? Simple: no jobs, no money. No money and lots of crime. Hell, Akron has another - albeit smaller - mall, Chapel Hill and even that's struggling, too.
Yet, I'll betcha that every time Nike comes out with a LeBron or Air Jordan shoe that causes pandemonium at the malls and especially black people are involved in the melee, Phil Knight's smile becomes more and more wretched. More money for him and more money for the Repukes. Yet, these people who buy his shoes are probably broke by the time they exit the checkout at Foot Locker.
Look, I don't own Nike shoes, nor do I plan to buy them. I only buy shoes that are comfortable, period. Hell, during the summertime, I wear cheap flip-flops. I don't need a fucking multi-million-dollar athlete telling me that his shoes make him jump higher than the competition's. If the shoes I buy are made here, that's a plus.
Like I said, I totally agree. If somebody wants to sit or kneel for the National Anthem, let them. But the fact that Colin Kaepernick sold his soul to Nike with his beliefs only cheapens them. The real winner here is Phil Knight with his billions.
In the meantime, good 'ol Drumpf tweeted: "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!"
Maybe since the left won't support a company that makes sweatshop shoes and the right won't support a company who has Colin Kaepernick under contract, yeah, Drumpf is totally right on this one.
---
It's funny how the company named for the Greek goddess of victory created a publicity dud.
Yesterday, Nike unleashed a new ad featuring former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick that's supposed to be inspirational. The ad also features the Williams sisters, LeBron James and other athletes that are on the Nike payroll.
The ad honors the 30th anniversary of Nike's famous "Just Do It" slogan. Ah, yes, the days of when wearing $175 Air Jordan sneakers could make you jump as high as Michael Jordan himself... Not.
Anyway, many are attacking Nike for allowing Kaepernick to appear in the ad campaign, which has the saying "believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything". The former San Francisco 49er is currently suing the NFL because he hasn't played in two years. He was dropped by the 49ers in 2016 in part due to the controversy he started by kneeling while the National Anthem is playing. Kaepernick did so in protest of police brutality towards African Americans. Since then, many other athletes have joined in his protest, though the NFL did announce not long ago that they would fine any player for kneeling or not being present for the National Anthem.
Now granted, I totally agree that what the NFL is doing is unconstitutional. Nobody needs to be forced to stand for the National Anthem, especially if it violates their political or religious views. If people want to bash our government, they have the First Amendment right to do so. With Drumpf as president, that right is definitely needed.
However, despite that commercial, that inspirational message gets lost knowing the fact that, well, Nike is not a very nice company. Their CEO and founder, Phil Knight is worth over $25 billion and gives religiously to the (you guessed it) the Repukes. Not only that, Nike doesn't have any American plants. Those $175 Air Jordans were probably made in a sweatshop in Vietnam by a worker making pennies per hour with material that only takes a few bucks to make.
I'll never forget the scene in Michael Moore's "The Big One" where he actually visits Phil Knight at Nike headquarters. He asked Knight why Nike has no plants here in America, and his response was "nobody in America wants to make shoes". So, Mike goes to Flint, MI where he starts petitions for Nike to build a plant there. Thousands of people signed the petition, and guess what! Mike goes back to Beaverton with the petitions and a video with people telling him to start up Nike factories. Phil's response? He walks out of the room.
Since that movie was made, Nike is still making billions with hardly any American workers. Oh, wait! They have LeBron James, who used a part of his Nike bucks to build a school in Akron, OH for underprivileged kids. Nice, though it would be nicer if Nike had a plant or two in Akron to keep people working and off of welfare. Hell, what's sad is that Akron used to have a nice shopping mall, Rolling Acres and it closed a few years ago. Why? Simple: no jobs, no money. No money and lots of crime. Hell, Akron has another - albeit smaller - mall, Chapel Hill and even that's struggling, too.
Yet, I'll betcha that every time Nike comes out with a LeBron or Air Jordan shoe that causes pandemonium at the malls and especially black people are involved in the melee, Phil Knight's smile becomes more and more wretched. More money for him and more money for the Repukes. Yet, these people who buy his shoes are probably broke by the time they exit the checkout at Foot Locker.
Look, I don't own Nike shoes, nor do I plan to buy them. I only buy shoes that are comfortable, period. Hell, during the summertime, I wear cheap flip-flops. I don't need a fucking multi-million-dollar athlete telling me that his shoes make him jump higher than the competition's. If the shoes I buy are made here, that's a plus.
Like I said, I totally agree. If somebody wants to sit or kneel for the National Anthem, let them. But the fact that Colin Kaepernick sold his soul to Nike with his beliefs only cheapens them. The real winner here is Phil Knight with his billions.
In the meantime, good 'ol Drumpf tweeted: "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!"
Maybe since the left won't support a company that makes sweatshop shoes and the right won't support a company who has Colin Kaepernick under contract, yeah, Drumpf is totally right on this one.
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Bee-otch of the Day Archives can be seen on http://beeotchoftheday.blogspot.com
Bee-otch of the Day is a production of Chuck69.com, Grand Rapids' site for Stern, politics and more!
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