American sports store that stopped selling Nike after Colin Kaepernick became the face of their ad campaign forced to close

NFL player Colin Kaepernick as the face of Nike ad campaign
Nike/@Kaepernick7 Twitter
Bonnie Christian14 February 2019

A sports store owner in Colorado who decided to stopp selling Nike merchandise last year has been forced to close its doors after 20 years in business.

When Nike decided to feature former NFL player Colin Kaepernick as the face of its ad campaign in September, the owner of Prime Time Sports, Stephen Martin, decided to pull the company’s merchandise in protest.

Mr Martin told a local NBC station this week that he couldn’t “keep the doors open anymore” and had made the decision to close the store permanently.

“Being a sports store without Nike is kind of like being a milk store without milk or a gas station without gas. How do you do it? They have a monopoly on jerseys,” Mr Martin told the station.

San Francisco 49ers outside linebacker Eli Harold, quarterback Colin Kaepernick and free safety Eric Reid kneel in protest during the national anthem before an NFL game in 2016
USA Today Sports/Reuters

NFL jerseys, which made up a large part of Mr Martin’s inventory, are exclusive to Nike and he said he realised last year his decision could put him out of business.

At the time, Mr Martin called the brand “the mother of all harlots.”

He said that although Mr Kaepernick "sacrificed a salary," nothing "compared to what every soul on our 'Honor the Flag' memorial wall that was built a few years ago has suffered and died for. "

Mr Kaepernick, a former quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, first sparked controversy in 2016 when he began on-field demonstrations during the national anthem in protest of racial injustice.

The former NFL player, who has remained unsigned for two years, has been targeted frequently by President Donald Trump and his base for protesting during the national anthem.

Mr Martin told KOAA News 5 that he had also cancelled an autograph session at his store with former Denver Broncos player Brandon Marshall in 2016 to protest the athlete's decision to take a knee during the national anthem.

But, he conceded that “perhaps there are more Brandon Marshall and Colin Kaepernick supporters out there than I realised.”

Nike unveiled its ad featuring Kaepernick last year with the slogan "Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything."

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