Nine Line Apparel, a veteran-owned apparel company, created an ad that punched back at Nike's pro-Kaepernick ad. CBS rejected it.
In Nike's ad they celebrated former NFL quarterback and his anthem protests. This ad opposed those exact topics. Despite only having $25 million in annual revenues, Nine Line Apparel had enough funds to pay for a 45-second ad. According to a spokesman from Nine Line, CBS did not like the ad's content.
The ad contained soldiers, first responders and images of military graves with American flags hanging on them. It credits those people for giving Kaepernick the right to protest.
The ad starts with a spin off of how Nike's ad ended.
In the Nike ad, which was a minute long, the end featured Kaepernick saying, “So don’t ask if your dreams are crazy. Ask if they are crazy enough.”
Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything. #JustDoIt pic.twitter.com/SRWkMIDdaO
— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) September 3, 2018
The Nike ad was controversial because it featured the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback who started the whole episode of kneeling during the National Anthem to protest the treatment of minorities.
The beginning of the Nine Line ad opens up with: “Don’t ask if your loyalty is crazy. Ask if it’s crazy enough.”
Tyler Merritt, the CEO of Nine Line Apparel, tore into CBS for his add being rejected. Per Washington Examiner:
"CBS’s purported reason for rejecting a Super Bowl commercial that extols patriotism is totally out of bounds," he said. "Let’s call this what it is: a blatant attempt to censor a message that their politically correct executives find offensive. We urge Americans who believe it’s important to show respect for our flag and national anthem to join us in calling out this offensive bias. It’s time to give a penalty flag to CBS."
"Our goal is to bridge the gap between civilians and service members, whether they are military veterans, law enforcement, or first responders," it continues. "At Nine Line, we know that only united can the American people fight injustice and preserve our freedom and independence. We aim to be a voice for the people, a channel through which patriotic Americans can make themselves heard."
Why is Nike allowed to push their pro-Kaepernick, anti-American stance while Nine Line is forbidden from pushing their pro-America, anti-Kaepernick stance?