Back in September, Martin took ill to #ColinKaepernick’s “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything,” ad with Nike. He made national news after deciding to boycott the biggest name in sports merchandise.
According to CNN, Martin was very aware of how the boycott would affect his business and tank his revenue, but considered this a matter of ‘principle over profit’.
Martin’s sales are down 15% in the past three years.
“This was never about property to me, this was about principle,” Martin told @cnn as he prepared his store to be shut down. “You don’t trample over the men who have given #ColinKaepernick and me the right to free speech.”
#ColinKapernick became a prominent figure in the African American community in 2016, after his protest by a form of kneeling during the national anthem swept the country. Although Kaep’s intention was to bring awareness to police brutality in America, many sports fans, like Martin, have expressed outrage toward the former 49ers quarterback.
Martin says he only ever considered himself to be a man who sold jersey’s until, after 20 years of business, the collab between Nike and Kaep turned him into an activist.
“Being a sports store without Nike is like being a gas station without gas,” he said. “I didn’t give in to big Nike and big dollars…I did it my way.”
And it looks like Martin’s gas has finally run out.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/14/us/colorado-store-closing-nike-boycott/index.html
TSR STAFF: Brianne @beedev_
