Colin Kaepernick is the most controversial athlete of today’s era. His protest is against the systematic oppression and racial injustice against minorities in the United States of America.

During the first 49ers preseason game on Aug. 26, 2016 against the Packers, Kaepernick chose to sit instead of stand during the national anthem. For the first three preseason games his actions went unnoticed by the media, but during the final preseason game, Kaepernick decided to kneel instead of sit.

This garnered nationwide controversy, splitting America into two sides. One side that believed Kaepernick had disrespected both the flag and our veterans. The other side that believed in what Kaepernick had to say.

On Sept. 4, Nike teamed up with Kaepernick for an ad campaign. This lead to a nationwide boycott of Nike products, lead by conservatives who believed Kaepernick disrespected the flag and our veterans. A few of these people reacted by burning Nike products they owned. Many promoted this action by posting videos on social media.

People have their right to boycott Nike. They have a right to choose what to buy and what not to buy and that’s one of the main idea of capitalism. I respect their choice. I just want to clear that up before I get into the next topic and that is about the people who are choosing to burn Nike products.

First off, don’t burn your Nike products. There are a plethora of reasons not to and we’ll be examining some of those reasons.

For one, burning materials commonly found inside shoes, like rubber and foam, is hilariously bad for the environment. Also, instead of burning your Nikes past wearability, donate them to people in need. Maybe to those veterans that are having trouble adjusting to our society.

Second off, if you are going to burn your Nike products, don’t post it on social media. You are just giving Nike free advertisement.

Conservatives aren’t the only people that hold strong feelings about the Kaepernick ad. Liberals and Democrats, such as myself, support both Kaepernick and Nike throughout the protest and ad campaign. We believe that Kaepernick is fighting for what he believes in and that is the basis of what this ad campaign is about.

In my opinion, Kaepernick had every right to protest, his first amendment right protects his actions. People want to deny that right, which is what goes against what our veterans and soldiers fought for.

Protesting is one of the most patriotic things you can do as an American. That was a right given to us by our Founding Fathers. Why not utilize it?

With all the protesting aside, let’s get into the effects and outcome of the boycott.  The details of the contract between Nike and Kaepernick, estimated to be in the millions, has not been disclosed. So Kap should be living good.

Nike on the other hand, suffered immediate consequences, the stock of Nike dropped to $79.60 from $82.20, but then jumped to an all-time high $83.47.

So the ad campaign seems to be working out pretty well for Kaepernick and Nike, but not very well for the boycotters.

Ultimately, Nike’s new campaign endorsing Kaepernick has split the nation in two. One of those sides supporting the Nike campaign and Kaepernick, while the other does the opposite. Those who were against Kap in the first place had the terrible idea of burning Nike products when they have much better options to their disposal. Don’t burn your Nike. Donate them instead.

Photo by: Sam Blas