The Real Problem with the New Nike Ad Is Not What You Think It Is

Nike set the social media world on fire this week by releasing a new ad campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick as the poster boy.

It’s simply a closeup, black and white shot of Kaepernick’s face with the statement, “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.”

Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything. #JustDoIt pic.twitter.com/SRWkMIDdaO

— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) September 3, 2018

The world of social media was set ablaze with people ranting either for Kaepernick or against him—some going as far as literally setting fire to their shoes.

But regardless of where you stand on the issue, the deeper problem with the ad has nothing to do with kneeling during the national anthem. It’s a spiritual problem at the core of our identity. The problem is the slogan.

“Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.”

At first, it sounds like a good saying. We all believe you should believe in something. After all, as the saying goes, if you stand for nothing you’ll fall for anything.

And that’s the marketing trick. We can all attach our beliefs to this phrase and adopt it as our own.

We all fill the blank space of something with our worldview.

Some people are taking the slogan and plastering it on the faces of other people who may think differently than Kaepernick—like Pat Tillman.

Others are mocking the ad by turning it into funny internet memes.

It all goes to prove my point: The slogan could be pasted on anyone’s face and mean something different because everyone has a something they believe.

Believe in ____________. Even if it means sacrificing everything.

We all have a something, but what if the something we believe is wrong?

It could be something laughable:

• Believe in unicorns. Even if it means sacrificing everything.
• Believe in Hogwarts. Even if it means sacrificing everything.
• Believe in Santa. Even if it means sacrificing everything.

Things like mystical creatures, schools for wizards, and a magical, bearded fat man may not be the best things to sacrifice everything for.

As you can see with this absurdity, the slogan is too vague to be right.

But these beliefs could also be something horribly wrong:

• Believe in racial-supremacy. Even if it means sacrificing everything.
• Believe in becoming famous. Even if it means sacrificing everything.
• Believe in making money. Even if it means sacrificing everything.

Racism, fame, and fortune are terrible things to sacrifice your life for, but we can all name people who have.

What’s Your Something?

According to the Christian worldview, there’s only one thing we should believe so strongly that we would sacrifice everything for.

Paul writes, “To live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).

In other words: Believe in Jesus. Even if it means sacrificing everything.

The good news of Jesus, the gospel, is the only solution to all our problems.

• The gospel shows that racism is stupid because we are all children of God, created in his image (Gen 1:27). And one day, people of all places, races, and faces will live in perfect peace before God in Heaven (Rev 7:9-10).
• The gospel teaches that we should love our neighbors, even our enemies (Matt 5:43-47).
• The gospel urges us to love what is good, and hate what is evil (Rom 12:9).
• The gospel tells us that life is much bigger than a self-centered, shallow existence (Phil 2:3-4).

So, here’s the question I hope this ad controversy forces us all to answer: what is the something you believe?

Can you honestly say that that the thing you pursue at the cost of all else is Jesus, or in the pit of your stomach, do know your something is something less?

Nike’s ad is close, but it misses the mark. They were bold to capitalize on a divisive issue, but afraid to define the something you should believe because that would divide even more people.

Look, we all have something we believe that we would risk everything for, even if we aren’t aware of it. The real question is, is it the right something?

Is your something worth the sacrifice?

What if Christians would spend more time believing Jesus and following him at the risk of everything else?

That’s what the early church did. And that’s how they changed the world.