Page 23 - ARUBA TODAY

A23
SPORTS Saturday 8 September 2018
Nike's Kaepernick campaign signals change in shoe politics

By JESSE J. HOLLAND symbolize status and street
Associated Press style. Sneakerheads lined
A pair of shoes are set up outside stores to get the
aflame with a cigarette newest shoes.
lighter, captured on video Companies "have made
and shared widely online millions off of following
to protest a political state- trends from the black com-
ment made by the manu- munity, and so they have to
facturer. be cognizant of the feelings
The New Balance shoes of that community," said
were burned by their own- Antonio S. Williams, who
ers two years ago after a teaches sports marketing
spokeswoman indicated at Indiana University. "It only
the company's support for takes one or two incidents
President Donald Trump's for shoes to be pushed
trade policies. aside and declared uncool
Nike now finds itself in a This Friday, Sept. 7, 2018, combo of file photos shows athletic shoes worn by professional athletes. and left behind, so they are
After years of building billion-dollar brands around sports celebrities, shoe and apparel makers
similar position on the other now find themselves flashpoints in the political, racial and cultural clashes surrounding the Trump very aware of the cultural
side of the political spec- administration and some athletes are increasingly using their shoes as a form of expression. exchanges and trends go-
trum as some customers Associated Press ing on in their base com-
cut up its products or burn munities."
them because of the com- shoes players can wear. New Balance tried to steer
pany's decision to make "I stand with Nike, every clear of politics in 2016 af-
Colin Kaepernick the face day, all day," James said ter coming out in support
of its "Just Do It" 30th anni- Tuesday at a Nike fashion of Trump's desire to remove
versary campaign. show and awards ceremo- the United States from the
With the Kaepernick cam- ny in New York. Trans-Pacific Partnership.
paign , Nike is embracing Trump has blasted the NFL A company official said
activism and racial justice for allowing players to fol- "things are going to move
at a time when shoe com- low Kaepernick's decision in the right direction" under
panies can no longer avoid to kneel during the national a Trump presidency. Pro-
the nation's political divi- anthem to protest police testers took that as support
sion. After years of building shootings of African-Amer- for Trump and began burn-
billion-dollar brands around icans. Now the president ing New Balance shoes
sports celebrities, shoe and has turned against Nike, and posting videos. At least
apparel makers now find which is making the former one white supremacist de-
themselves flashpoints in San Francisco 49ers quar- clared that New Balances
the political, racial and cul- terback one of its main were the shoes of "The
tural clashes surrounding spokesmen. Trump Revolution."
the Trump administration. "Nike is getting absolutely New Balance quickly re-
Nike took this route as its killed with anger and boy- leased a statement saying
biggest representatives cotts," Trump tweeted the official's remark was
— most notably LeBron Wednesday . taken out of context. The
James and Serena Williams Athletic apparel compa- company insisted that it
— have spoken out about nies have straddled the "does not tolerate bigotry
police shootings of African- entertainment and cultural Palm trees frame a large billboard on top of a Nike store that or hate in any form" and
shows former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaeper-
American men and prob- worlds for years partly with nick at Union Square, Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2018, in San Fran- "believes in humanity, in-
lems facing the black com- their emulation of black cisco. tegrity, community and
munity. culture — think Run-DMC's Associated Press mutual respect for people
Those same athletes are in- Adidas shoe deal in the around the world."
creasingly using their shoes wake of the group's rap hit tive shoe deals, the current minority communities. Busi- Unlike New Balance, Nike
as a form of expression. "My Adidas" and Nike's "Air generation is going farther ness boomed as black ath- doesn't seem to be back-
James' "Equality" Nike sig- Jordan" campaigns featur- by using their sneaker deals letes became spokesmen ing down. Its two-minute
nature shoe was unveiled ing Michael Jordan and as a platform to promote and spokeswomen, but commercial, highlighting
earlier this year , with the Spike Lee. social justice. questions arose over how Kaepernick, James, Serena
word emblazoned across This has created a billion- And with that shift, Nike much the companies in- Williams and others, aired
the back of the shoes. dollar industry and the is taking the side of its su- vested financially in black Thursday during halftime of
Steph Curry has worn a cultural challenge of how perstar athletes — even if communities, compared the NFL's season opener.
Barack Obama-themed to appeal to minority and it means alienating Trump with how much they made Nike has likely figured out
shoe. youth communities as well supporters and intertwining by exploiting African-Amer- that its core consumers
NBA players in recent years as to the country's white, shoes and politics. ican trends. — the people who regu-
have worn shoes with mes- sometimes conservative, Many companies "feel the The relationship began in larly buy its sneakers and
sages of "R.I.P. Trayvon majority. need to align with players, the 1980s, when Nike, Adi- clothes — are probably
Martin" and "Sideline Rac- But the companies and because players help them das, Reebok and Converse the millennials and minority
ism" and images of Ebene- major sports leagues have move the product," said Mi- became staples of black youth who already support
zer Baptist Church, where been careful not to stray chael Lewis, director of the fashion, and African-Amer- Kaepernick or at least don't
the Rev. Martin Luther King into real politics, famously Marketing Analytics Center ican youth sought to emu- mind the stance he is tak-
Jr. preached. Such state- symbolized by Jordan, who at Emory University in At- late the stars of the day, like ing, Antonio Williams said.
ments could become more reportedly said Republi- lanta. Jordan, Run-DMC and oth- "Nike wants to be on the
common in the next sea- cans buy shoes, too. While Clothing and shoe makers er figures associated with right side of history and the
son after the NBA relaxed Jordan and others in his era have always had a back- the burgeoning hip-hop right side of its core con-
the rules over the types of were thrilled to have lucra- and-forth relationship with culture. Footwear came to sumers," he said.q