The shoe is an insanely popular design which bears Kaepernick’s iconic name (and Afro). It’s a really cool shoe. Marc Bain for Quartz reports:
The sneaker, a version of Nike’s popular Air Force 1, quickly sold out in adult sizes on Nike’s site and its SNKRS app after dropping this morning. Nike also released child and toddler sizes, and launched the sneaker first in North America, with global releases to follow.
The shoe comes about a month after Kaepernick once again made headlines for a new confrontation with the NFL. Since kneeling during the national anthem in 2016 to protest police brutality and other injustices against black Americans, the quarterback has effectively been shut out of the league. In November, having finally settled his lawsuit against the NFL, Kaepernick was meant to take part in a league-approved workout demonstrating his readiness to return to play, until a dispute over terms led him to hold his own alternate workout instead.
The real story here is the success of Kaepernick’s successful Nike shoe launch in the shadow of a confrontation with NFL league politics and lawsuits. That’s a very impressive feat, for anyone. I’m proud of Kaepernick and his steadfast uncompromising ideals. I hope Kap continues to press forward as a free-agent (or NFL player), because athletes like him are a rare breed. In general, we need more leadership like Kap.