Nike Corporation started out as fledgling company in Oregon. Nike enjoyed the peace and stability that allowed it to grow into the multinational company that it is today. It was the life and limbs sacrificed by our brave soldiers, defending the values of our American flag, that allowed Nike to become a very profitable company.
In the name of free speech, Nike chose to honor and promote Colin Kaepernick for Kaepernick’s decision to dishonor the American flag at a football game that brave men and women bled and died for. This was done by Nike to show sympathy for Kaepernick’s issue regarding race and to support him in his right to free speech. Or was it done to increase the profits of the Nike Corporation?
Martin Luther King’s amazing “I Have a Dream” speech was instrumental in advancing civil rights for African Americans. It was that same right of free speech that allowed Dr. King to make his case to the American people. African Americans, I believe, cherish this right as all Americans do.
This past week, Nike pulled a line of sneakers off the Chinese market because the designer of these sneakers took to social media to encourage the protesters in Hong Kong. What happened to Nike’s valuing free speech when people wanted democracy in Hong Kong? It appears that free speech is okay for Nike if it is in keeping with its profit motive and not to offend the Chinese officials.
LOUISE ANDRUS
Salisbury