Colin Kaepernick is still working to get back to the NFL. But in the meantime, he’s becoming more of a figure in the pop culture world as the Nike commercial that features him just won an Emmy for outstanding commercial at the 2019 Creative Arts Emmy Awards (via CNN). The commercial is called “Dream Crazy” and it featured the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback as well as Serena Williams and LeBron James who are all about social justice. The commercial was released in September of 2018 just days before the start of the NFL season.
Because of what Kaepernick stands for, the commercial drew some backlash such as people burning their Nike shoes. But the commercial was a major financial success for Nike as the company’s stock hit an all-time high.
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“Management knows its American consumer well and the campaign featuring Mr. Kaepernick is a positive for the brand and likely its sales,” Wedbush analyst Christopher Svezia said last year via CNN.
What led to the commercial is what Kaepernick did in 2016. In his final season with the 49ers, Kaepernick stared to not stand during the national anthem because he was in protest. At first, he would sit on the bench during the anthem, but after talking for then-teammate Nate Boyer said kneeling would be more respectful. From there, Kaepernick would kneel for the rest of the year, and he drew headlines all over the world.
After the 2016 season, Kaepernick opted out of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers, which made him a free agent. He’s been out of the NFL since.
And that led him filing a grievance against the NFL, accusing league owners of collusion to keep him out of the league. Earlier this year, it was announced that Kaepernick reached a settlement with the NFL and withdrew the grievance.
Kaepernick was not the best QB in the NFL, but he did have a solid run with the 49ers. His best season was in 2013 when he threw for 3,197 yards, 21 touchdowns and eight interceptions while rushing for 524 and four touchdowns. However, in 2012, Kaepernick replaced Alex Smith as the starting quarterback midway through the year and he led the 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance only to lose to the Baltimore Ravens.
With injuries to quarterbacks Ben Roethlisberger, Drew Brees and Trevor Siemian, it’s likely Kaepernick could be back in the NFL sooner than later.
