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Nike, Ford come out in favour of NFL players in burgeoning battle of enemies with Donald Trump

NIKE has announced its support for an issue that is dividing the United States — and the top brand is not the only big business to join sides.

Matt YoungMatt Young
@MattYoung
4 min read
September 26, 2017 - 10:49PM
Nike has announced its support for NFL players who kneel during the national anthem, in direct opposition with President Donald Trump.
Nike has announced its support for NFL players who kneel during the national anthem, in direct opposition with President Donald Trump.

IN A patriotic storm of his own making, US President Donald Trump is losing allies not just across the globe in North Korea, but in some of his closest groups of allies.

On top of that, he’s copping it for basically forgetting and then insulting an unfolding catastrophe that has gained little of his attention.

In recent days, Trump has taken aim at the National Football League, which is for many patriots America’s beating heart.

Now, not only does he face intense pressue from the United Nations, but a “hotly political weekend” has forced an intense standoff between the Trump administration and some of America’s most respected faces and brands.

Some of them are public — like LeBron James and Tom Brady — but others, perhaps even more importantly, are several cashed-up NFL owners who donated millions to Mr Trump’s campaign.

Not only are insiders peeved, but industry giants, too — and Ford and Hyundai announced they were leading the pack.

It’s a big win for players like Colin Kaepernick, who began kneeling during the American anthem in a “provocative” protest of police brutality last year. Ever since, other players have been following suit. The issue became so divisive it’s lead President Trump to disinvite Golden State Warriors basketballer Stephen Curry from attending the White House in a shock sign for the direction of the Trump administration.

Overnight, the world’s largest sportswear brand and maker of NFL uniforms, Nike has followed in the likes of sponsors Ford and Hyundai, directly opposing President Trump’s views.

Nike “supports athletes and their right to freedom of expression on issues that are of great importance to our society,” it said.

Now Mr Trump must balance an internal and external storm — and no one seems to be safe.

It all started on Sunday when Mr Trump “tweeted out the scariest tweet of his long Twitter career — and that’s saying something,” according to Salon’s Heather Digby Parton.

Mr Trump’s tweets are infamous for destroying relationships but this one took the cake. It’s led to a flurry of fear of a nuclear war and the most pointed threat from North Korea yet.

“Since the United States declared war on our country, we will have every right to take countermeasures including the right to shoot down US strategic bombers even when they are not yet inside the airspace border of our country,” North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho said.

“The question of who won’t be around much longer will be answered then.”

At the same time he was in a war of words with Kim Jong-un, he decided to tackle the NFL head-on by taking aim at the protesting NFL stars at a political rally. He said NFL owners should sack anyone who knelt during the anthem.

As he was downplaying the issue of racism and violence between the police force and the African-American community, the city of St Louis, Missisippi, was on high alert after demonstrations against the not guilty verdict of a police officer who was recorded threatening a suspect saying he was “going to kill this motherf***er” in a high speed police chase before stopping him and firing a “kill shot”. It is alleged the officer also planted a gun on the victim to “make a murder look like self defence”.

Nevermind that, though, because Trump had bigger fish to fry, including NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who told Sports Illustrated: “The way we reacted today, and this weekend, made me proud. I’m proud of our league.”

The backlash sparked a frenzy of activity from Trump, who spoke three times on the issue, along with over a dozen tweets, including: “If NFL fans refuse to go to games until players stop disrespecting our Flag & Country, you will see change take place fast. Fire or suspend!”

Just the weekend prior, fewer than 10 players in all 16 games of the NFL either sat or raised a fist across the league. After the controversy, more now than ever before are following the lead.

It’s led a growing avalanche of support for the equality movement in America, and Ford and Nike’s backing — who are major sponsors of the league — sets the support in stone.

This week Mr Trump faces even bigger headaches.

His lack of empathy over the devastated Caribbean island of Puerto Rico and the three million Americans stranded after Hurricane Maria’s wrath only compounded the anger after he tweeted on Tuesday:

His administration is already facing steep criticism after residents of the US territory said they felt that they had been “forgotten”.

“It’s possible that Trump doesn’t even know that the people on this devastated island are Americans. It’s probable that if he does know that, he thinks they shouldn’t be,” lamented Salon’s Ms Parton, who cited Mr Trump’s well-known criticism for being a “racist”.

Despite saying the issue isn’t about race, it’s not clear if the President is winning the war.

His travel ban, which will impact citizens of North Korea, Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen, is a clear sign he’s not changing direction.

Jose Garcia Vicente walks through rubble of his destroyed home in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, in Aibonito, Puerto Rico. Picture: Gerald Herbert
Jose Garcia Vicente walks through rubble of his destroyed home in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, in Aibonito, Puerto Rico. Picture: Gerald Herbert

But for Americans, Mr Trump continues to bury allies.

“He simply cannot stop being divisive,” Ms Parton wrote.

“It is the single defining feature of his presidency. He is threatening the world and tearing the country apart and it’s not getting better. It’s getting worse.”

Not happy, Kim: US President Donald Trump attends a trilateral luncheon meeting with leaders of South Korea and Japan in New York.
Not happy, Kim: US President Donald Trump attends a trilateral luncheon meeting with leaders of South Korea and Japan in New York.

— youngma@news.com.au

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/finance/work/leaders/nike-ford-come-out-in-favour-of-nfl-players-in-burgeoning-battle-of-enemies-with-donald-trump/news-story/c20cc297cf27db347d01b9079fe60323