B/ Nike’s controversial Colin Kaepernick ad campaign its most divisive yet

1- Tick the correct answer(s)

a-The text is □ an article

b- The text is about □ a brand
c- The text is □ British

2- Match each word with the corresponding definition

A6 – B3 – C1 – D7 – E2 – F9 – G4 – H8 - I5

3/ Answer the following questions

a- Which lines best explain the picture ?

‘‘since 2016, when, as a player for the San Francisco 49ers, he refused to stand during the national anthem. At
first he sat as a protest, then later sank to his knee.’’(l.13-14)
‘‘Soon, his teammates joined him and the protest spread to other players, lasting into the 2017 season.’’(l.23)
b-After reading the text, what can you say about Colin Kaepernick ?
He is both an American football player and a civil rights activist. In 2016, he refused to stand for the national
anthem to protest against racism, against the police killing African Americans and injustices. In 2017, he became
a free agent, meaning that no team would hire him. In 2017, he was 30 years old.
c- What happened to the brand after the commercial’s release ?
Their share price fell by 2 %, people burnt their products or cut the logo from their socks. People threatened to
boycott the brand.
d- What was the team owners’ decision ?
They condemned the fact that players would not stand during the national anthem and made it a rule.

C/ Going further

This quote was said by Colin Kaepernick in a 2018 Nike commercial.

It means that values are more important than material success or people-pleasing. This is not a new concept –
it’s a core belief. It means that Colin Kaepernick was ready to sacrifice what he had – an American football team
– to achieve his goal, to denounce racism and injustice. He is ready to devote his life to his goal.
Now, the subtext is that Nike believes the new generation is one that largely supports Colin Kaepernick’s
protest, and that is why Nike has chosen to use him as their poster boy for this campaign, with the above slogan.
Indeed, we must bear in mind that this video is a commercial. Its purpose is to sell a product. In politics and
marketing, one of the golden rules is that you can’t please everyone - so if you want your campaign to work, you
have to choose a particular group (a large one, ideally) and focus on them, even if it means alienating other
groups. Nike are tapping into the emotional value of ideals and sacrifice - the kind of narratives at work in all
quest-model stories and films. The brand chose to be provocative to secure the support of their target, youth.