Nike reveals inspiring new ad narrated by Colin Kaepernick
Colin Kaepernick might not be back on an NFL field yet, but Nike's putting the professional football player and activist front and center for its 30th anniversary "Just Do It" campaign.
On Wednesday Nike tweeted a new spot narrated by the former NFL star. The clip also features athletes like LeBron James and Serena Williams, who strive to give the very best to their sports.
"If people say your dreams are crazy, if they laugh at what you think you can do, good. Stay that way," Kaepernick's narration begins. "Because what non-believers fail to understand is that calling a dream crazy is not an insult, it's a compliment."
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"Don't believe you have to be like anybody to be somebody. If you're born a refugee, don't let it stop you from playing soccer for the national team at age 16," he says.
Over footage of James on the court, and then at the opening of his I Promise school, Kaepernick says, "Don't become the best basketball player on the planet. Be bigger than basketball."
The ad concludes with the lines, "So don't ask if your dreams are crazy. Ask if they're crazy enough."
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On Monday, Nike released an ad featuring Kaepernick that reads, "Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything" -- a move that was seen by some as controversial.
The former quarterback was ousted from the NFL two years ago after he began kneeling during the National Anthem in protest of police brutality and racism in the United States. Since then, Kaepernick's protest has spread across the league, causing the NFL to implement new rules about athlete conduct during the anthem. Those rules were recently put on hold pending further discussion.
Following Nike's big Kaepernick reveal, the NFL released a statement acknowledging that the social justice issues Kaepernick and other players are addressing deserve attention.
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According to reports, Nike plans to air the commercial during Thursday's NFL season opener.
Nicole is a Senior Editor at Mashable. She primarily covers entertainment and digital culture trends, and in her free time she can be found watching TV, sending voice notes, or going viral on Twitter for admiring knitwear. You can follow her on Twitter @nicolemichele5.
