During "The Daily Show" Tuesday night, host Trevor Noah addressed the many boycotts on both sides of the political divide that made the news over the past week. There's the conservatives who took issue with the forthcoming film, "First Man," which omitted the planting of the American flag and there's the outcry on the left over the New Yorker inviting former White House adviser Steve Bannon to headline the publication's festival this fall.
"And then just yesterday came the biggest boycott news of all," Noah said. "Nike launched their new campaign to celebrate 30 years of 'Just Do It,' including an ad with Colin Kaepernick that says: 'Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.'"
The comedian marveled at how "uplifting" the campaign seems, featuring the former NFL player who lost his career because he chose to stand up against racial injustice, "but it’s also the motto of many gambling addicts," Noah joked. "Don't forget."
"Millions of people loved this ad," he added. "But then, the other shoe dropped."
"The Daily Show" aired a montage of some of the negative reactions to Nike selecting Kaepernick as the brand's face, including pundits who declared they would never purchase Nike products again, and others taking videos of themselves burning their Nike gear or ripping the logo off their clothing.
Even the president weighed in, as he has done on the NFL protests. "I think it’s a terrible message that [Nike] are sending," Trump told the Daily Caller on Tuesday. "But I think as far as sending a message, I think it’s a terrible message and a message that shouldn’t be sent. There’s no reason for it."
"Wow, people are so angry they’re burning their own shoes," Noah said. "You realize Nike already has your money, right?"
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"You're only hurting yourself," he continued. "Like, I would love to see how they would protest Home Depot. 'All the walls in my house must gooooooo!' And also, I'm not going to lie, I don't know about you, but those flaming Nikes just make me want to pay even more."
Noah admitted that he "loves" this campaign, but he added that he "feels bad" for conservatives who are upset about it. "Because you realize we live in a world now where brands are taking stands on political issues," he said. "But they don’t give anyone a warning first, they just spring it on you."
Noah couldn't help but imagine some alt-right guy who just happened to buy new Nikes prior to the campaign and now people are yelling at him, "Yeah, resist!!!" as he holds the box, when he just wanted "arch support."
"So as a stance, some people say, they're now going to buy Nikes to support Colin Kaepernick's protest and others say, they'll never buy Nikes again, because the shoes disrespects the troops," Noah continued. "All I know is it's only a matter of time before we ask as many questions about the politics of a product as the product itself."
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