Charles Oakley, In-N-Out Burger, and getting old
February 10, 2017“Take a joke, people” Myles Garrett tells critics: While We’re Waiting
February 13, 2017A new short film from Nike which features Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James will come equipped with a multi-platform rollout including a full-page newspaper spread video, and interactive social media engagement. Titled “Equality,” Nike combines the power of spoken word with music from Alicia Keys, infusing James, Serena Williams, Kevin Durant, and more.
Here’s the press release:
Nike has a long history of speaking up for causes that reflect its values. That continues today with the launch of EQUALITY, in which Nike encourages people to take the fairness and respect they see in sport and translate them off the field.
EQUALITY is centered on using Nike’s voice and the power of sport to inspire people to take action in their communities, with Nike leading by example with its recently announced partnerships with world-class organizations dedicated to advancing this work.
A new film, simply titled “Equality,” anchors these values in the power of sport. The film, directed by Melina Matsoukas, features LeBron James, Serena Williams, Kevin Durant, Megan Rapinoe, Dalilah Muhammad, Gabby Douglas, and Victor Cruz, amplifying their voices in an effort to uplift, open eyes and bring the positive values that sport can represent into wider focus. “Equality” also features actor Michael B. Jordan, who voices the film, and a new performance by Alicia Keys, singing Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come.”
The EQUALITY initiative will live at nike.com/equality, in social media and on billboards and posters in cities around the U.S. and Canada, with imagery that features portraits of athletes and cultural icons. In addition, Nike will enable people to create their own EQUALITY avatar or social media filters to express their support.
Lastly, EQUALITY T-shirts, and shoes from Nike’s annual Black History Month collection, which has historically supported organizations serving youth and their communities, will be available for purchase via nike.com and select retail. The 2017 Black History Month collection will be worn by many Nike-sponsored players throughout NBA All-Star weekend in New Orleans in February. The EQUALITY tee is a symbol of Nike’s unwavering commitment to diversity and inclusion.
“We all have a purpose in life and for us to be as great as we can be as a nation and as a world, we have to feel empowered,” James said in a behind-the-scenes video where the athletes discussed the film. “At the end of the day, we’re just trying to find a way where we can all feel equal, be equal, have the same rights and be in the same place no matter the color. It’s always a sensitive subject, but at the same time it needs to be talked about. For me to use my influence in a manner like this, it means a lot.”
Astute observers of James’ portion of the film will recognize the city of Cleveland. The four-time MVP had his spot filmed at the intersection of E. 6th and Superior, just north of the Leeder Building right outside of The Federal Reserve. Equally astute observers will notice that the film, despite having been in the works for some time, is released just days after Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank received loads of backlash after he praised President Donald Trump, including critical comments from several of the brand’s top athletes.
A full-page ad for the initiative is set to run in newspapers across the country on February 12.
As mentioned in the press release, Nike is also encouraging fans of the brand to create unique avatars to run alongside the campaign for the month of February.
Both James and teammate Kyrie Irving will have Black History Month (or “BHM”) colorways of their signature sneakers releasing on Thursday in advance of the NBA’s All-Star Weekend.
James’ LeBron 14 will feature a blend of black and white (harmony) with gold accents (aspiration), and will retail for $175. In similar ilk, the Kyrie 3 will have a black base with black and white marbling on the outsole and gold accents on the tongue and insole. It will retail for $120.
21 Comments
I know who Nike is ultimately responsible to, but it sure would be nice if this was a “here’s how were going to help” and not a “so buy our shirts and shoes”.
The film is to raise awareness. The shirts and shoes are meant to do the same. In addition, the spot follows Nike’s recent announcement of its partnerships with MENTOR and PeacePlayers International, to drive change within communities wherein the company will donate $5 million in 2017 to numerous organizations that advance equality in communities across the U.S. This eems pretty significant to me.
Also, the first ten seconds is just north of the Shoreway on W25th.
Multinational corporations certainly are not the answer to resolving complex domestic social issues, and we as individuals are not going to consume our way out of the problems we face. I love Lebron, but these ads are a shallow form of identity politics–generating almost no heat and certainly no light.
In contrast, consider the principled stand against human rights abuses that Michael Bennett (and several other NFL players) made over the weekend in declining a state-sponsored trip to Israel. They aren’t hawking any consumer goods and are not aligning a social message with corporate product placement, but rather engaging in a form of thoughtful protest that will surely draw ire. Very impressed by those young men http://deadspin.com/michael-bennett-withdraws-from-group-of-nfl-players-tou-1792256020
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“Nike’s unwavering commitment to diversity and inclusion.” Unless, of course, you’re a conservative. Then there’s no room for you here.
That’s that’s the way I feel. I’m sure I’m not the only one.
Do you mean conservative views are not welcome within Nike’s general vision? Or do you mean that the ad’s implied message regarding the need for change that leads to more racial/gender inclusion is an essentially liberal view?
I mean this sounds to me like more left-wing “Hollywood” holier-than-thou hypocritical b.s.
You don’t need a weatherman . . .
Even on the left there is tension around whether the Democratic party should continue to focus on representational diversity (the sort of identity politics Hillary Clinton campaigned on) or material economic issues (essentially the Sanders platform). This commercial is trafficking heavily in the language of representational diversity, and, much like the Clinton campaign, simply invoking “equality”, “diversity”, and amorphous “victimhood” become largely meaningless bromides, especially when wealthy celebrities are delivering the message.
In other words, I wouldn’t view this just as a conservative/liberal split – I think something more nuanced is happening in our political culture at the moment, and that this commercial (unintentionally) taps into it
Okay, you have more insight into this than I do. I’m just reacting on a pretty superficial level.
Look, I don’t want to get into a big argument with anyone about this. If people love this ad campaign, fine. I think it’s b.s., but that’s just me. I’m all for diversity and inclusion . . . for everyone.
see, to me it sounds less effete “Hollywood” than Madison Avenue, pinky-to-the-wind. That was my take watching the nearly identically themed Super Bowl ads, one after the other.
It strikes me as just another lecture from rich celebrities that we should strive to be as wonderful and superior as they all are because clearly we’re not there yet.
got it. I think one’s perspective depends on what you think prompts an ad’s message. I don’t see LeBron and friends pushing their sponsor to promote a social agenda, notwithstanding that this is precisely the intended appearance. I see a multinational corporation positioning itself for sales, or the less direct goodwill that leads to sales. And if the company execs and talent believe in the ad’s message that’s merely a happy coincidence. But if Nike thought a litter of scampering puppies, a weather-beaten farmer or an aging rock group would do that job better, that’s what we’d be seeing.
I agree that it’s primarily a marketing gimmick, but I see social finger-wagging as well. What makes this pitch more appropriate than puppies etc. is the Trump effect. The message I’m getting is that Trump is a racist, mysogynist, homophobic, xenophobic, etc. deplorable, and we’re against him and his ilk. So be like us.
… which is what they think will briskly move their shoes right now. I believe we’re not disagreeing so I’ll stop.
If Nike is truly concerned about fighting society’s ills, I know how it could make a real and significant impact. Bring to the U.S. those hundreds of thousands of factory jobs that are being performed at their hundreds of factories in Asia and elsewhere. And then pay the American workers a decent wage.
This would be far more useful than giving LeBron $1 billion (with a B) for reciting platitudes. When communities have decent jobs, so many of society’s problems take care of themselves. Marriage and families are more stable, people have a sense of purpose and responsibility, crime goes down.
If Nike did that, people would take notice. Hell, I’d even buy from them.
Action > talk.
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Saw this older post, thought I’d chime in.
I’ll happily debate til blue in the face about economics with a conservative, and happily discuss policy with one, but the reality is that the reason that conservatives feel put out by equality messaging is because the national party which identifies as the “conservative” party actively promulgates racism and non-inclusion. This is a major problem because, for reasons of loyalty and ostensible socio-economic views that conservatives hold, they identify with this party – a party that is racist – and get branded as racists by association even though they, themselves, are not racists.
Donald Trump is a naked racist, and got elected because a significant cross-section of your party is the worst, cruelest, most hateful sort of person who loved his rhetoric about kicking out all the browns and keeping them out, about how ‘Islam hates us’ (how is that supposed to make millions of Muslim-Americans feel, by the way?), and about how most of the people that Mexico “sends” (?) here are rapists and and killers (?) Trump, though, is just a man who does not give a f***, and says these things openly instead of cutesy-footing around their naked racism, which the Repulican party has been doing since the Southern Strategy – the Republican Party has always been white-first, and survived on psuedo-logical arguments like “you’re the real racist because only you keep bringing up race,” a sort of nonsense that only flies with the people who are predisposed to agree with them.
So as a conservative, if you identify as Republican, you’re not free of blame. Even if you’re not racist, if you vote for national Republicans, you are providing political support for racism, sexism, and homophobia. That doesn’t make you racist, but nor will I ever pretend that it’s OK.
If you are actively trying to change the Republican party to stop being bigoted, then great. I think that’s a fool’s errand at the national level, and that the Republican Party is only going to become more and more the Party of Trump and the Party of Hate, and if you don’t want to be seen as a supporter of hate, you should try to form a fiscally conservative party that is also socially humanist and anti-bigotry.
The notion, though, that people like me aren’t willing to include people like you because you’re a conservative is conservative propaganda. We’ve always been willing – eager, even – to include you. The problem is, the modern iteration of the party that you probably support doesn’t feel the same way about people who aren’t white, male, and straight. It’s a shame, because conservatives have good political ideas, but both the social and economic ideas of the modern Republican party are utterly abhorrent, and frankly, the Republican party of today is no longer conservative.
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