Nike’s controversial commercial with former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick won the Creative Arts Emmy for Outstanding Commercial on Saturday, CBS News reports.
The “Dream Crazy” ad, which features several athletes but is narrated by Kaepernick, debuted just after Labor Day in 2018 and was created by the advertising agency Wieden+Kennedy and produced by Park Pictures. Although some, including President Donald Trump, decried the commercial and even called for boycotts, Nike’s shares jumped dramatically during the year the ad aired.
The ad features Kaepernick staring into the camera under the words: "Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything. #JustDoIt." Kaepernick has been a Nike athlete since 2011 despite not playing on an NFL team since 2016. He filed a collusion grievance against the league accusing them of blackballing him in response to his leading the movement to kneel during the national anthem before games, eventually reaching a settlement with the NFL last year.
The league issued a statement on the commercial last year.
“The National Football League believes in dialogue, understanding and unity. We embrace the role and responsibility of everyone involved with this game to promote meaningful, positive change in our communities,” said Jocelyn Moore, the NFL’s executive vp communications and public affairs, according to the Hollywood Reporter. “The social justice issues that Colin and other professional athletes have raised deserve our attention and action.”
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