Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick turned civil rights activist had made it apparent to the company that he and others found the shoe offensive and should be scrapped. The shoe had been given to retailers but the company withdraw them from the shelves and cannot be found on any website.
The shoe was set to be sold on the 4th of July as a celebration of the American Independence Day. Kapernick made headlines back in 2016 when he knelt during the American national anthem bringing attention to the police brutality African Americans face. The gesture struck some people of the country the wrong way resulting in backlash. Kaepernick left the NFL and has now become a civil rights activist.
The decision Nike made has resulted in some consequences for the company. This isn't the first time the company has had problems due to being associated with Colin Kaepernick. In 2018 the company had an add with the former NFL player titled "Dream Crazy."
The backlash was rampant with naysayers even going as far as burning their shoes which they purchased from the company in protest for choosing Kaepernick in their campaign. It seems these days politics directly affects businesses, with Nike seeing a rise in sales in the fourth quarter last year after using Kaepernick for the ad.
