The Nike commercial featuring former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick that prompted outrage among conservatives including with President Trump upon its release last year, has scored an Emmy nomination.
The “Dream Crazy” commercial, which was nominated under the “Outstanding Commercial” category, is narrated by Kaepernick and also highlights other prominent athletes like Serena Wiliams and LeBron James, who have each used their influence for activist causes.
{mosads}In the video, Kaepernick says, “Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything.”
Kaepernick was the first NFL player to protest racial inequality and police brutality by kneeling during the national anthem at NFL games in 2016.
He was frequently targeted by the president and many conservatives for protesting during the anthem and later became a free agent when the 2016-17 season concluded. He has not been signed by an NFL franchise since.
However, earlier this year, Kaepernick was able to reach a settlement with the NFL after filing a grievance against league owners and claiming they colluded to keep him from being signed.
In the wake of Nike’s decision last year to feature Kaepernick as the face of its new ad campaign, Trump blasted the NFL and the sportswear brand.
“Just like the NFL, whose ratings have gone WAY DOWN, Nike is getting absolutely killed with anger and boycotts,” Trump tweeted at the time.
“I wonder if they had any idea that it would be this way?” Trump added. “As far as the NFL is concerned, I just find it hard to watch, and always will, until they stand for the FLAG!”
However, despite opposition from the president and a wave of protests from some of the brand’s conservative customers, Nike ended up adding nearly $6 billion to its company’s market value since it announced its deal with the former NFL player, a report last year later found.