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  • 2018-09-06 (xsd:date)
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  • Did the Widow of 'American Sniper' Chris Kyle Criticize Nike's Colin Kaepernick Campaign? (en)
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  • In September 2018, Nike's announcement of an endorsement deal with free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick prompted a wave of controversy and debate. Kaepernick had become a central figure in ongoing National Football league protests again racial injustice after he first took a knee during the playing of the national anthem before games in the 2016 season. The deal was met with calls for a boycott of Nike products as well as criticism of the tenor and theme of the advertising campaign that accompanied it. One promotional image shows a close-up of Kaepernick's face with the message Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything: This could be interpreted as an allusion to Kaepernick's own football career. Since 2017, when Kaepernick opted out of the final year of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers, no NFL team has signed him for two consecutive seasons, despite his reputation as a talented quarterback. Kaepernick is suing NFL owners for allegedly colluding and conspiring not to hire him after he rose to prominence for leading the national anthem protests. In the days after Nike's announcement, several mostly conservative websites reported that Taya Kyle, wife of U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, whose life was depicted in the film American Sniper, had spoken out against the slogan of Nike's new ad campaign. The Daily Caller, for example, reported: Similar articles appeared on PatrioticExpress.com, UpdateAmerica.com and FaithWire.com, prompting inquiries from readers about the authenticity of Kyle's remarks. Taya Kyle did indeed post a scathing criticism of the slogan in Nike's campaign with Kaepernick, saying it was insulting to those who really have sacrificed everything. (Eddie Ray Routh, a veteran with a history of mental health problems, shot dead Kyle's husband Chris, along with another man, while on a gun range near Dallas in February 2013.) On 4 September, Taya Kyle wrote on Facebook: Taya Kyle has also criticized the national anthem protests, characterizing them as divisive and angry. (en)
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