The Colin Kaepernick “Dream Crazy” Nike commercial from September 2018, which spearheaded the 30th anniversary of the company’s iconic “Just Do It” ad campaign, won the Creative Arts Emmy on Sunday night, reports People.
The two-minute ad featured the former NFL quarterback sharing inspirational messages about achieving dreams no matter how crazy they may sound over varying clips of people with adverse circumstances performing tremendous feats.
“If people say your dreams are crazy, if they laugh at what you think you can do,” said Kaepernick in the ad. “Good. Stay that way. Because what non-believers fail to understand is that calling a dream crazy is not an insult, it’s a compliment.”
“Don’t try to be the fastest runner in your school,” he continued. “Or the fastest in the world, be the fastest ever. Don’t picture yourself wearing LBJ’s jersey; picture LBJ wearing yours. Don’t settle for homecoming queen or linebacker: Do both. Lose 120 pounds and become an Ironman after beating a brain tumor. Don’t believe you have to be like anybody to be somebody. If you’re born a refugee, don’t let it stop you from playing soccer for the national team at age 16.”
The ad reached its climax by cutting to Colin Kaepernick walking down the street as he intoned that now-famous phrase: “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.”
Nike’s choice to make Kaepernick the face of the ad came after he launched the #TakeAKnee campaign, which inspired scores of social justice-minded NFL players to kneel during the national anthem due to claims of police brutality against communities of color.
“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” Kaepernick told NFL Media in 2016. “To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder. I am not looking for approval. I have to stand up for people that are oppressed. … If they take football away, my endorsements from me, I know that I stood up for what is right.”
After opting out of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers in 2017, Kaepernick became a free agent and has not been signed to an NFL team since — leading many to believe that he has been persecuted for his political views.
At times, some on the Left over the past couple of years have compared Kaepernick to such historic civil rights icons as Rosa Parks and Muhammad Ali. Sports Illustrated even went so far as to award him with the “Muhammad Ali Award.”
“I am proud to be able to present this to Colin for his passionate defense of social justice and civil rights for all people,” said Lonnie Ali, Muhammad’s widow, at the time. “Like Muhammad, Colin is a man who stands on his convictions with confidence and courage, undaunted by the personal sacrifices he has had to make to have his message heard. And he has used his celebrity and philanthropy to the benefit of some of our most vulnerable community members.”