Nike and Colin Kaepernick took home an Emmy for Outstanding Commercial for the controversial ad piggybacking off of the quarterback's protests during the national anthem at football games.
CNN reported the ad titled "Dream Crazy" won the Emmy for Outstanding Commercial at the Creative Arts Emmys. Other nominees included Netflix’s “A Great Day in Hollywood,” Apple for “Don’t Mess with Mother” and “Behind the Mac: Make Something Wonderful.”
Released before the start of the 2018-2019 NFL season, the ad focused on the intersection between race, social justice and sports.
The ad featured other athletes including Serena Williams, LeBron James and other sports legends.
Kaep's ad aimed to inspire young people to change the world. This is the first Emmy win for the athletic brand since 2002.
While Nike stocks surged 36% since the release of the ad, initial reaction to the commercial sparked outrage among a select group of consumers.
Business Insider reported in 2018 many MAGA supporters destroyed their Nike apparel in the wake of the ad. Nevertheless, on Labor Day 2018 alone, Nike's ad announcement netted a 5% increase, which is nearly $6 billion, to the company's market value.
Kaepernick's activism began in 2016 when he protested the national anthem in an effort to bring attention to racial injustice. Since then, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback has been blackballed by the league.
No team has offered him a position on their team since his last season. Despite the backlash, the activist continues to do positive work in communities around the country through his nonprofit organization, the Colin Kaepernick Foundation.