AT 3:00 P.M. EASTERN, GO USA.
LET'S TURN TO NIKE, COLIN
KAEPERNICK DID NOT LIKE THE
DESIGN OF PATRIOTIC SNEAKER AND
FOOT WORK COMPANY, COMPANY UNDER
FIRE, JARED MAX WITH THE STORY,
JARED.
JARED: NIKE AIR MAX 1 USA WAS
CREATED TO CELEBRATE OUR
COUNTRY'S INDPIPPEDDANCE BUT THE
SNEAKER WILL NOT BE SOLD TO THE
PUBLIC, THE SNEAKERS WERE SHIP
TODAY RETAILERS BUT THEN TOLD TO
RETURN THEM, THE HEEL OF THE
SHOE REVEALS BETSY FLAG FOR 13
U.S. COLONIES, WHEN FORMER NFL
QUARTERBACK SAW IMAGE OF THE
SNEAKER ONLINE HE CONTACTED
NIKE, MADE THE FACE OF NIKE AD
CAMPAIGN LAST YEAR, KAEPERNICK
ACCORDING TO WALL STREET JOURNAL
SAID HE AND OTHERS FINE BETSY
ROSS FLAG OFFENSIVE SYMBOL
CONNECT TODAY SLAVERY,
KAEPERNICK TRANSITION FROM
FOOTBALL PLAYER TO ACTIVIST,
THOUGHT TO BE DANGEROUS CHOICE
BY MANY FOR NIKE CAMPAIGN BUT
SINCE ITS LAUNCH, NIKE SALES
HAVE JUMPED, GREAT DEMAND OF
U.S. AND CHINA, SALES UP 4% LAST
YEAR FOURTH QUARTER
$10.8 BILLION AND THIS YEAR
STOCK IS UP MORE THAN 15%.
NIKE HAS CHOSEN NOT TO RELEASE
AS FEATURED OLD VERSION OF
AMERICAN FLAG, SOME SNEAKERS
MADE IT TO BLACK MARKET AND NOW
HOT ITEM, NFL EXECUTIVE VICE
PRESIDENT CHIEF MARKETING
OFFICER TIM ELLIS SPOKE WITH
MORNINGS WITH MARIA ABOUT THE
CHALLENGE OF REBRANDING THE NFL
AFTER KAEPERNICK'S CONTROVERSIES
AND PROTESTS.
>> WHEN YOU FIRST CAME INTO THE
JOB, THE WHOLE NFL WAS NOT --
YOU HAD ALL THE STUFF GOING ON,
YOU COME IN AND YOU DO A
REBRANDING.
I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THAT
BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY IT IS WORKING.
>> I FELT LIKE WHEN I CAME INTO
THE NFL, WE BEGAN TO LET OTHERS
TELL OUR STORY AND WE NEED TO
BEGIN TO TELLING OUR OWN STORY
AND CONTROLLING OUR OWN
NARRATIVE AND WE NEEDED TO GET
BACK TO LOVE AND JOY OF FOOTBALL
WHICH IS REALLY WHY EVERYBODY --
EVERYBODY WATCHES THE NFL.
DAGEN: SO I WANT TO POINT OUT
THE FLAG IS TRADITIONALLY CALLED
THE BETSY ROSS FLAG AND HAS 13
STARS ON AND CREATED DURING
AMERICAN REVOLUTION, JACK
BREWER, WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF
THIS?
>> THIS IS AMERICA, THESE ARE
THE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE NEED
TO FINALLY HAVE, THE REASON WHY
COLIN KAEPERNICK STANDS AGAINST
THE FLAG LIKE THAT THAT'S THE
REASON WHY YOU WOULD NOT HEAR
THE FLAG ON MY FEET, I WOULDN'T
WEAR A CONFEDERATE FLAG, I LIVE
IN FLORIDA.
WHEN I DRIVE TO CENTRAL FLORIDA
YOU STILL SEE THE CONFEDERATE
FLAG FLYING.
HOLD ON, LET ME FINISH.
YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE
AMERICAN FLAG DOES NOT HAVE 3
STARS AROUND IT, RIGHT, THEN 13
STARS, I'M SORRY.
IF YOU LISTEN TO THE STAR
SPANGLED BANNER WRITTEN AT THE
TIME THE FLAG WAS MADE, RIGHT,
IT TALKED ABOUT PROTECTING
EVERYBODY EXCEPT FOR THE SLAVES
THAT ARE RUNNING AWAY, OKAY, SO
THAT REPRESENTS A BAD PART OF
AMERICA FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE, IF
I WAS NIKE I WOULD PUT A
MODERN-DAY FLAG WHERE ALL
AMERICANS HAVE RIGHTS AND
EVERYONE CAN STAND UP ALBEIT
FOURTH OF JULY, LIGHTING
FIREWORKS CELEBRATING THE BEST
COUNTRY ON EARTH BUT THIS FLAG
HAS NO PLACE IN MY HOUSE, ON MY
FEET AND I DON'T WANT TO SEE IT.
DAGEN: COLIN KAEPERNICK IS
RUNNING NIKE, IS HE NOT IN
THEY'RE PUTTING MORE AND MORE OF
THEIR BRAND ON HIM IF HE CALLS
THE SHOTS LIKE THIS.
>> I THINK THIS SITUATION IS
DIFFERENT, DAGEN.
I DO NOT AGREE WITH EVERYTHING
COLIN KAEPERNICK DOES, YOU KNOW
THAT, I DON'T AGREE TO APPROACH
TO EVERYTHING.
I WOULD HANDLED THE SITUATION
MUCH DIFFERENTLY, I CHOOSE TO GO
INTO THE COMMUNITIES THAT ARE
SUFFERING, I DON'T BLAME THINGS
ON OUR COPS, BUT THIS SITUATION
IS DIFFERENT BECAUSE YOU HAVE A
TIME IN AMERICAN HISTORY WHERE
THIS COUNTRY WAS BUILT OFF
SLAVERY AND IF YOU HAVE A FLAG
THAT WAS REPRESENTING ALL THOSE
EXCEPT FOR SLAVES, WE WERE ONLY
-- WE WEREN'T A WHOLE PERSON IN
OUR CONSTITUTION WHEN THIS FLAG
WAS MADE.
DAGEN: I I WANT TO POINT OUT THE
STAR SPANGLED WAS WRITTEN SOME
YEARS LATER -- RIGHT.
IT WAS 1814 IS WHEN IT WAS
WRITTEN AND IT WAS IN 1931
BECAME THE AMERICA'S NATIONAL
ANTHEM.
SOME YEARS LATER.
>> EVEN WORSE, DAGEN.
>> THIS IS A FLAG THAT WAS
DESIGNED DURING THE AMERICAN
REVOLUTION.
>> EVEN WORSE, DAGEN, THE
AMERICAN REVOLUTION WAS --
>> 1770's.
>> IN 1770's, A BLACK PERSON
WAS NOT -- DIDN'T EVEN EQUAL A
PERSON.
DAGEN: LET ME ASK YOU, THOUGH,
BUT -- AGAIN, THE WALL STREET
JOURNAL GOES INTO THIS, THE FLAG
USE IS NOT WIDESPREAD,
ACCUSATION THAT IS THE FLAG HAS
BEEN APPROPRIATED BY EXTREMIST
GROUPS, WHITE SUPREMACISTS BUT
DO -- IF ALL PEOPLE DON'T FEEL
THAT WAY, IS THIS REALLY THAT
RISKY A MOVE FOR NIKE TO PUT THE
SHOE OUT AND BY THE WAY IT IS
OUT AND IT'S SELLING, ONE PAIR
THAT WENT FOR 2 GRAND.
>> DAGEN, IF YOU WORE THE SHOE
OR JARED MAX WORE THE SHOE, IT
WOULDN'T OFFEND ME.
I'M NOT WEARING THE SHOE.
DAGEN: WOULD YOU FEEL LIKE I WAS
A BIGOT OR RACIST IF I WORE THE
SHOE?
>> NOT AT ALL, THAT DOESN'T
REPRESENT THAT TO YOU, THE SAME
WAY WE HAVE TO DEBATE ABOUT THE
AMERICAN FLAG, THE AMERICAN FLAG
REPRESENTS THE AMERICAN
SOLDIERS, PEOPLE OVER THERE
FIGHTING, TOTALLY DIFFERENT
CONVERSATION.
DAGEN: YOU THINK NIKE MADE THE
RIGHT MOVE?
>> I THINK THEY MADE THE RIGHT
MOVE.
DAGEN: I WILL LEAVE IT AT THAT,