A veteran-owned apparel company’s pro-flag Super Bowl TV ad that punches back at Nike’s promotion of Colin Kaepernick and his national anthem protests has been rejected by CBS.
According to the firm, Nine Line Apparel, CBS was apparently not satisfied the firm could pay for the 45-second ad, despite having annual revenues of $25 million. A spokesman for Nine Line charged that CBS didn’t like the ad’s content.
The ad features soldiers, first responders, and images of military graves decorated with American flags and gives credit to them for protecting the rights of those like Kaepernick to protest.
It appears to open up where the ad Kaepernick narrated and starred in ended.
Nike’s minutelong ad, which debuted at the beginning of the 2018 NFL season to great fanfare and controversy, shows Kaepernick at the end saying, “So don’t ask if your dreams are crazy. Ask if they are crazy enough.”
The ad celebrated sports achievers but was controversial because it featured the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback, who started a wave of political protests by kneeling during the National Anthem to protest the treatment of minorities.
Nine Line Apparel’s ad opens with, “Don’t ask if your loyalty is crazy. Ask if it’s crazy enough.”
It is narrated by Benghazi survivor U.S. Marine Mark Geist. “Some people think you’re crazy for being loyal, defending the Constitution, standing for the flag. Then I guess I’m crazy,” he said in it.
Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything. #JustDoIt pic.twitter.com/SRWkMIDdaO
— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) September 3, 2018
“For those who kneel, they fail to understand that they can kneel, that they can protest, that they can despise what I stand for, even hate the truth that I speak, but they can only do that because I am crazy enough,” he adds.
Nine Line Apparel CEO Tyler Merritt ripped the rejection of his ad.
“CBS’s purported reason for rejecting a Super Bowl commercial that extols patriotism is totally out of bounds,” he said. “Let’s call this what it is: a blatant attempt to censor a message that their politically correct executives find offensive. We urge Americans who believe it’s important to show respect for our flag and national anthem to join us in calling out this offensive bias. It’s time to give a penalty flag to CBS.”
The firm is overtly patriotic. Nine Line Apparel’s “About Us” page on its website reads: “Nine Line Apparel represents the grit and commitment of all Patriotic Americans. Founded on the principles similar to other value based organizations, Nine Line aims to promote the issues faced by all those who have served their country, on both foreign and domestic soil. Nine Line encourages a conversation between those who serve and those who support them.”
“Our goal is to bridge the gap between civilians and service members, whether they are military veterans, law enforcement, or first responders,” it continues. “At Nine Line, we know that only united can the American people fight injustice and preserve our freedom and independence. We aim to be a voice for the people, a channel through which patriotic Americans can make themselves heard.”
