Christian College Stops Selling Nike Products Over Kaepernick Ad
- By Derek Welch --
- 12 Sep 2018 --
The Cleveland, Georgia educational institution announced its intention not to continue carrying Nike products.
Truett McConnell University, or TMU as it is also known, is a small college pursuing Christian values in Georgia. The obscure educational institution, imparting liberal arts knowledge to about 2,600 students, shot into the limelight when it announced its intention of severing ties with Nike over their ad campaign starring Colin Kaepernick. The college claimed the NFL player mocked the military and law enforcement when he protested during the U.S. national anthem.
Christian College Stops Selling Nike Products Over Kaepernick Ad[/tweetthis]
The extreme steps taken by TMU reflects the polarized reaction to the ad campaign where Colin Kaepernick played a pivotal role. Emir Caner, the school president, decried Nike's decision to hire Colin Kaepernick. Caner described the NFL player as one who wears socks having pig images and kneels against the flag. The president believes Kaepernick mocked U.S. troops by his actions and he and his family find such actions reprehensible.
The school president refers to Nike's advertisement with Kaepernick, where the tagline stands with the player's face in the background. The tagline is an evocative one, declaring "Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything." To justify his stand against Nike, Caner said that the United States has given him and his family the many freedoms they enjoy today. He said that his wife was born and brought up under socialist oppression and became an American citizen only a few years back. She and all members of his family have pledged allegiance to the United States and symbolically its flag.
Truett McConnell University mocks religion by conveniently forgetting that people like MLK Jr, Rosa Parks and countless others protested for people who died on the streets of America for civil rights. Kneeling at a football is protesting more deaths. https://t.co/phsN394yJ1
— Rio Joanz (@RioJoanz) September 10, 2018
The Cleveland, Georgia educational institution announced on September 7 its intention not to carry any Nike products in its store located within the campus. The proceeds of remaining stock until will be donated to Fraternal Order of Police and the Wounded Warriors. TMU has left all avenues open when it comes to its business relationship with Nike in the future. The college is clear that its problem with the company involves Kaepernick and not the company’s products. Caner said Nike products will be restored to their eminence within the campus if the company apologizes to law enforcement officers and the United States Armed Forces. The president of the college urged those who were listening to him to honor true heroes until Nike does what he believes it should. True heroes, he said, are those people who protect Americans daily, even by sacrificing their own lives.