In 2016, athletes from America have silently protested against systematic oppression, equality and social injustice, racism and injustice in criminal system, oppression of people of colour in the US. One that stood out was San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. As a form of a silent protest against the oppression of people of colour in America, Kaepernick knelt during the anthem. This has caused some controversy as it is seen as disrespectful for the flag and members of the armed forces. This started off the protest and after a while a number of NFL and other sports athletes have taken part in the silent protest. Because of this, Nike unveiled a new Nike ad campaign that features Kaepernick, alongside other high profile athletes such as LeBron James, Serena Williams and Odell Beckham Jr. I will be analysing this controversial story as it falls under disruptive and conquest scripts.
This Nike advert controversy falls under conquest script as it is a ground-breaking advert. It is a rare event, Kaepernick is a man who broke a long-standing deadlock; and by doing so he risked his career to enact it. According to Dayan & Katz, “Conquest is the live broadcasting of giant leaps for humankind… life is not the same after a televised conquest” (Dayan and Katz, 1996) This campaign can be seen as a ‘giant leap for humankind’, as it features someone who stood up for what they believe in and it was successful in the end. The whole campaign is historical, and not only in the sports world but for people of colour all over the world. The advert featured other sports stars such as LeBron James, Serena Williams and Odell Beckham Jr. This is a huge achievement not only for Nike but for people of colour in general as the advert is using big sports stars in the advert to promote self-belief; the whole message of the advert is to believe in yourself and what you believe in. “Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything” (Youtube, 2018) This is what Kaepernick said near the end of the advert, he is referring to his controversial kneeling down to the anthem back in 2016, he risked his career for what he believed in. Because of this, Kaepernick is seen as a “daring hero acting singlehandedly against all odds…” (Dayan and Katz, 1996) Kaepernick done what most players won’t do due to the consequences they will face. Kaepernick said of his protest, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of colour… There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.” This campaign is seen as innovational as it has never been done before. Due to this campaign, Nike has experienced a significant increase in online sales despite all of the controversy surrounding the advert. However, the advert also received some backlash from some Nike customers as they started boycotting Nike by burning their Nike products in protest. Some people thought think that this campaign brings about disgrace as it offends their moral sensibility. Because of this it has led to some public outrage; especially in social media. Nevertheless, it was a triumphant campaign as it acted as a platform to protest against oppression of people of colour.
This Nike campaign could also fall under disruptive events. The kneeling down to the anthem situation is seen as an “unscripted accident”, meaning the audience did not expect it; it was spontaneous which causes shock to the society. Kaepernick not standing to the national anthem is a form of protest against the system. “Strikes and protests are agreed forms of sanctioned disruption.” (Lang & Lang, 1983) (Alexander, 2003) It could be argued that it helped create an even bigger platform for the protestors, as it can be seen to help promote the silent protest that was started by Kaepernick in 2016 as he is the main protagonist in the advert. Disruptive events are likely to be dramatic, they tend to cause a lot of controversy as they appear at moments of crisis and conflict that threatens society. “Shocking news events are disruptive, not integrative, and unlike ceremonial events are not pre-planned… they are unexpected and mostly unwelcome interruptions…” (Katz & Liebes, 2007) This advert was after the incident in 2016 when all the controversy started. Although the advert itself was pre-planned, the incident in 2016 of Kaepernick kneeling to the anthem was un-planned which caused the interruption. “The key to such events, we thought, was in the charm of the televised hero, and his decision to risk the “breaking of a rule” in order to reach a goal; this is what the concept of charisma is about” (Weber, 1968). Kaepernick risked his career in order to stand up for what he believed in; he is seen as a ‘hero’ for people of colour and for people who have suffered from police brutality, not only in America, but globally as the Nike advert was broadcasted around the world. Usually, “ceremonial events may suddenly yield to an unplanned disruption” (Katz & Liebes, 2007) However, these events juxtapose this idea. The kneeling down incident was seen as the disruption which caused public outrage especially on social media as it was seen to be disrespecting the flag. This was then followed by Nike signing Kaepernick to show their support for the minority being discriminated against and to support Kaepernick’s beliefs. This can be seen as the ceremonial event as it can be celebrated as a success; not only for people of colour, but for the whole of America as it shows that one of the biggest brands in the world are willing to take a risk to show their support for Kaepernick. It is a ground-breaking collaboration between a sports brand powerhouse and a controversial sports star.
Dayan and Katz has a very narrow understanding on what deserves to be broadcasted, they have an elitist approach, as they felt that some stories were not worth talking about, for example, everyday stories and media scandals; they are more into politics. This story is not just an everyday story, it is unique and most likely going to be once in a lifetime which makes it more newsworthy for Dayan and Katz as Kaepernick was the first one to stand up for his beliefs. This whole situation has caused a lot of dispute about Kaepernick, the public decides whether it is ‘right’ or ‘wrong’. Some people feel that he is disrespecting the flag of America, however he argues by saying, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color," Kaepernick told NFL Media in an exclusive interview after the game. Before the Nike campaign, Kaepernick was being framed as the ‘bad guy’ by the media, however, after the campaign, he is seen as more of a hero as he sacrificed his career in order to stand up for what he believed in. It perfectly falls under both scripts as the kneeling down to the anthem can be seen as disruptive as it was broadcasted live which shocked the audience even more because it was unplanned. The campaign falls under conquest scripts as this whole situation has never happened before, it was innovational. For a young, promising, black athlete to stand up for what he believed in even if it means risking everything, it takes a lot of courage to do that and for that he can be seen as a hero. This historic moment will change the lives of people in the near future; especially for people of colour who are oppressed by the system