counterpunch | Nike changes its brand more often than Madonna and more profitably.
In the company’s latest transformation, Nike has risked–make that
sought–the ire of Donald Trump and his drones by making Colin Kaepernick
the face of its latest campaign under the inspiring slogan: “Believe in
something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.”
Kaepernick’s brief
presence in an otherwise sentimental ad triggered a tweet from Trump
and a boycott by the Deplorables, who took to burning their
overpriced footwear. It was precisely the response Nike wanted and sales of Nike products have surged
over the last week. With social justice icon Kaepernick fronting the
brand, no one will be thinking about Nike’s wretched labor practices
inside its sweatshops in Honduras, Indonesia and Vietnam.
This is a
proven formula for the company. When Nike was under intense public
scrutiny in the 1990s, it recruited civil rights legend Andrew Young to
whitewash the company’s record. The image changed, but the cruel
conditions didn’t.
Now, with the company rocked by sexual harassment charges against some of its top executives,
Nike’s betting that Kaepernick will refrain from speaking out against
the dismal practices of his employer. Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods and
LeBron James have all remained mute about the savage treatment of the
workers who make the shoes and apparel that are sold under their image.
So as a reminder who Nike really is under the patina of its
pitchmen, we’re running this excerpt from my book Born Under a Bad Sky.–J
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