Mayor Pete: If Trump Had Served In The Military, Maybe He'd Understand NFL Player's Right To Kneel

Mayor Pete Buttigieg

Mayor Pete Buttigieg is standing up for NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick's right to kneel during the national anthem.

“The way I feel about it is the flag that was on my shoulder when I served represented, among other things, our right to free speech,” said Mayor Pete to TMZ while in New York City. “You don’t have to like it, but one of the reasons we serve was to defend that right, the right of peaceful protest and the idea that we can protest what is wrong with our country.”

“If the president had served, maybe he’d feel a little more strongly about some of those freedoms," Pete added. "And, I get that there’s a lot of strong opinions about this, but that’s part of why we served.”

Nike Stock Hits All-Time High 10 Days After Kaepernick Ad

From Bloomberg:

Ten days after Nike’s new Colin Kaepernick ad provoked calls for boycotts, shares hit an all-time high, closing at $83.47 Thursday.

It will likely be months, if not longer, until anyone can fully measure the business impact of Nike Inc.’s controversial partnership with quarterback-turned-activist Colin Kaepernick, but early data from Edison Trends show sales tracking well above last year.

Edison scanned receipts from more than 200 online retailers (including Nike.com) and found that that Tuesday after Labor Day, for example, the first full day after Kaepernick’s ad went viral, Nike purchases were 22 percent higher than the same day in 2017. On Wednesday they were 42 percent higher, and Thursday they were 23 percent higher. They remained above 2017 levels through the end of the week.

I guess this answers Donald Trump's question, "What was Nike thinking?"

What was Nike thinking?

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 7, 2018

On September 5, Donald Trump told the media, “Nike is getting absolutely killed with anger and boycotts. I wonder if they had any idea that it would be this way?”

Looks like Nike had more than “an idea.”

.@Nike stock has hit an all-time high 10 days after launching its @Kaepernick7 campaign pic.twitter.com/5zU68sKoCV

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) September 15, 2018

Nike's Online Sales Surge 31% Since Announcement Of Colin Kaepernick Ad

Trumpers may be burning their Nike sportswear as a weird kind of boycott (it's not a boycott if they get your money, folks), but Nike is having a good laugh.

Edison Trends is reporting that online sales of Nike merchandise has surged 31% compared with the same time period last year in the aftermath of the new Nike campaign featuring NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

“There was speculation that the Nike/Kaepernick campaign would lead to a drop in sales but the data does not support that theory,” the company said in a statement.

Apex Marketing notes that in addition to surging online sales, Nike received more than $43 million in terms of media exposure and proudly took on the mantle of 'risk-taker.'

Nike Drops 1st Colin Kaepernick Ad Spot

Colin Kaepernick

Ok - this. This right here.

After a day that saw Nike's stock take a hit, the athletic wear company is not crawling in a hole.

No - they are ramping up on the inspirational message of NFLer Colin Kaepernick and more world-class athletes.

The sportswear behemoth released a two-minute video today (2 million views in just a few hours) featuring Kaepernick narrating a vision of dreams exceeded.

"Don't try to be the fastest runner in your school, or in the world. Be the fastest ever."

"Don't settle for homecoming queen or linebacker - do both."

Megan Rapinoe

"When they talk about the greatest team in the history of the sport, make sure its your team."

"Don't become the biggest basketball player on the planet. Be BIGGER than basketball."

"Don't believe you have to be like anybody to be somebody."

"Don’t ask if your dreams are crazy. Ask if they’re crazy enough."

As the video clips bounce from Alphonso Davies to Serena Williams to LeBron James, don't miss openly lesbian Olympic gold medalist Megan Rapinoe at the 1:25 mark.

Serena Williams

Colin Kaepernick Honored With 2017 Sports Illustrated Muhammad Ali Legacy Award

(Colin Kaepernick - photo credit: Brook Ward)

He may not be able to get a job in his chosen field, but Colin Kaepernick can get recognition for the spotlight he's shown on inequality and social injustice.

Sports Illustrated announced today that Kaepernick is the recipient of the 2017 Sports Illustrated Muhammad Ali Legacy Award. He is the youngest to receive the award since SI began the honor.

From the announcement:

In the last 16 months, Kaepernick’s truth has been twisted, distorted and used for political gain. It has cost him at least a year of his NFL career and the income that should have come with it. But still, it is his truth. He has not wavered from it. He does not regret speaking it. He has caused millions of people to examine it. And, quietly, he has donated nearly a million dollars to support it.

For all those reasons—for his steadfastness in the fight for social justice, for his adherence to his beliefs no matter the cost—Colin Kaepernick is the recipient of the 2017 Sports Illustrated Muhammad Ali Legacy Award.

Each year SI and the Ali family honor a figure who embodies the ideals of sportsmanship, leadership and philanthropy and has used sports as a platform for changing the world.

“I am proud to be able to present this to Colin for his passionate defense of social justice and civil rights for all people,” says Lonnie Ali, Muhammad’s widow. “Like Muhammad, Colin is a man who stands on his convictions with confidence and courage, undaunted by the personal sacrifices he has had to make to have his message heard. And he has used his celebrity and philanthropy to the benefit of some of our most vulnerable community members.”

Previous Legacy winners—including Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jim Brown, Jack Nicklaus and Magic Johnson—were deserving. But no winner has been more fitting than Kaepernick. Ali lost more than three years of his career for his refusal to serve in the military in opposition to the Vietnam War. Kaepernick has lost one year, so far, for his pursuit of social justice.

In tweeting the news, SI wrote, "It is a rare person who gives up what he loves in exchange for what he believes."

It is a rare person who gives up what he loves in exchange for what he believes.

Colin Kaepernick is the winner of SI’s Muhammad Ali Legacy Award. https://t.co/bUQotMxxFE pic.twitter.com/gQsmPLze49

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) November 30, 2017

Where Are Colin Kaepernick's Critics Now?

Talks the talk AND walks the walk. Where are Colin Kaepernick's critics now?

Btw, what have THEY done lately to solve some problems?

Via The Young Turks:

Radio Show: Colin Kaepernick & The National Anthem

Activist Aaron Baldwin joined me last night to discuss the recent controversy surrounding San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick' decision to not stand during the singing of the national anthem during football games.

After last Friday's pre-season game where Kaepernick remained seated during the anthem, he told reporters, "I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses Black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”

Folks across the country called Kaepernick out for being "unpatriotic." On social media, there were calls for Kaepernick to leave the country if he's not happy here. Others called him a wealthy athlete who is disconnected from average America.

One the other side of the debate, however, there are lots of folks who say Kaepernick has a right to free speech. And a hashtag - #VeteransForKaepernick - has been trending on Twitter lately.

Thursday night, during the 49ers game with the San Diego Chargers, he took a knee with team mate Eric Reid during the national anthem. After that game, he announced he will be donating $1 million to communities of need.

Listen below as Aaron and I look at how this is being played out between sports fans across the country.