Nike vs. the NFL: Who do YOU belong to? The Colin Kaepernick debate from the perspective of BRAND.

Brands were able to rise to power, to hold such room in our minds and our hearts, because the government, political leaders and religious institutions of our parents and grandparents failed us.

As humans, we crave belonging. As Americans, at least for the last few decades, we’ve looked to sports teams and brands that represented our American spirit to give us something greater to believe in. Nike and the NFL are at the top of this list. We forget it was our parents and ourselves who so willingly handed them this power, with our hearts, our time and our dollars.

Enter Colin Kaepernick’s ad with Nike…

While the internet breaks over the Colin Kaepernick ad and scores of people gives their unsolicited opinions across Twitter, we are reminded:

We may belong to these brands, but they do not belong to us.

The brand consumer relationship is a voluntary one. That’s why it’s special. You get to decide which brands you want to belong to.

I believe if we’re going to decide to belong to something, if we’re going to give them our money and tattoo their logos on our bodies, then they have a responsibility to take a stand on issues that speak to the core of our values… our American values. And very high on the list of American values is our right to peacefully protest.

Nike agrees… the NFL? Not so much. They each took a stand on the right to protest, as is their right. But now YOU get to decide if they’re still worth your time and your money.

Given the uproar, it’s important to note that Nike nor the NFL are actually taking a side on the issue of racial injustice and police brutality. Nike is not even suggesting whether or not Colin Kaepernick is right or wrong.

What Nike is saying, without nuance or subtlety, is that we are nothing if we don’t stand up for what we believe in. Nike is reminding us that we have a responsibility to do what we believe is right, even if it means sacrificing everything.

And I can’t think of anything more American than that.