'Big & Rich' John Rich urges boycott over Kaepernick becoming the face of new Nike ad campaign

By Daphne Buenaflor

Sep 07, 2018

05:50 A.M.

Big & Rich member, John Rich, expressed his distaste for Nike’s decision in choosing Colin Kaepernick for their new ad campaign. The singer urged fans to boycott the company on Twitter.

Rich was firm with his post on Twitter, expressing his disappointment after Nike chose the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback as the face of their new campaign.

It appeared to be an unusual move for Nike to pick a controversial public figure and for taking a seemingly obvious political stand.

Kaepernick became controversial after he took a knee during the national anthem to protest against the police for condemning the minorities. He has been out of the NFL since 2016.

Although Nike and Kaepernick have a sponsorship deal since 2011, the company’s recent decision made it seem like it is showing support for what Kaepernick believes in.

Ray Ratto from NBC Sports pointed out that Nike saw that the former NFL player would remain a public figure even if he is no longer playing.

Ratto wrote, “Nike’s new ad campaign, the one that includes Colin Kaepernick behind the legend ‘Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything,’ has had the desired effect of inflaming the open sores of the American body politic.”

Along with Nike’s decision, many conservative citizens were enraged and started a campaign to boycott the company altogether.

Rich revealed that he is among the group of conservatives after posting on Twitter.

He shared a picture of his sound manager who had removed the Nike logo off of his socks as a form of protest.

The singer added that the company should be ready for more boycotts in the upcoming days.

Rich announcing his displeasure against Nike came as a shock to some since he has been known to be an avid supporter of President Donald Trump.

As many would recall, President Trump called for NFL owners to remove and fire players who protest during the national anthem.

In 2017, for the inauguration, the president had trouble booking entertainment acts, but Big & Rich were happy to perform for the special occasion.

In a statement via Rolling Stone, Rich said they were thrilled and honored to be part of the memorable event.