From Colin Kaepernick to Dylan Mulvaney, Nike's decade of left-wing activism has finally caught up to it

Nike spent much of the past decade making left-wing politics part of its brand and the company's stock hit a 12-year low this week.

Before we get into that, we should acknowledge that the messaging isn't the only reason the company is struggling. Nike is losing ground to newer competitors, its products havent created the same excitement and consumers arent exactly eager to pay more for sneakers right now.

Still, its hard not to notice what Nike has been doing while its business has sputtered: picking fights over politics, race, patriotism, transgenderism and DEI.

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From Colin Kaepernick to the Betsy Ross flag, Dylan Mulvaney and a study involving "transgender" youth athletes that Nike quietly backed away from after OutKick exposed it, the company has built an impressive record of left-wing corporate activism.

In February 2026, it added an EEOC investigation into alleged race discrimination against white employees and job applicants to the list.

Nike wanted to be more than a shoe company. Mission accomplished.

Nike made its choice clear in 2018, when it put former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick at the center of its 30th-anniversary "Just Do It" campaign.

Kaepernick, of course, became a national political figure after sitting, and later kneeling, during the national anthem because he said he refused to show pride in a flag for a country that "oppresses black people and people of color."

He specifically cited "police brutality" and later wore socks to an NFL practice and showed support for Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.

Nike decided he was the perfect guy to launch a campaign with the slogan, "Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything."

At that point, Nike wasnt simply sponsoring a former NFL quarterback. It was elevating the most divisive figure in American sports at the time and daring consumers to take a side.

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Some did. Nike received plenty of backlash, including videos of customers burning products or cutting the swooshes off their socks. But the company also received glowing coverage from corporate-media types who loved the idea of a massive American brand embracing extreme left-wing political messaging.

Nike didnt back away from the Kaepernick experiment, either.

The following summer, it pulled a Fourth of July-themed Air Max sneaker featuring the Betsy Ross flag after Kaepernick reportedly objected to the design. Nike said it halted distribution because of concerns the shoe could "unintentionally offend."

Think about that for a second. A company built around American athletes decided that a sneaker featuring the flag associated with the countrys founding was too offensive to sell around Independence Day.

Then came 2020, when nearly all of corporate America went all-in on left-wing political activism.

And Nike was right there at the front of the line.

After George Floyds death, the company released its "For Once, Dont Do It" campaign, telling Americans not to pretend there wasnt a probl