Nike plans to release a line of shoes later this month honoring NFL player Colin Kaepernick.
Kaepernick gained global fame after he refused to stand during the national anthem during a 2016 preseason game. The date of that demonstration, August 14, 2016, is emblazoned on the bottom of the new shoe line as 081416. The shoes also feature Kaepernick’s likeness on the upper heel.
The shoe will sell for $110. They are part of Nike’s Air Force series, a popular model that debuted in 1982.
On Saturday, Nike officially announced a collaboration with Kaepernick on an Air Force 1 — more than a year after the brand made him the face of the “Just Do It” campaign for its 30-year anniversary. Kaepernick appeared in a print ad with the tagline, “Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything,” and narrated a two-minute commercial, titled Dream Crazy, that won an Emmy. In September 2018, it was reported that Kaepernick’s new partnership with Nike (Kaepernick first signed with Nike as a rookie in 2011) would not include an extensive clothing line or signature shoe. Yet in the past year, Nike has delivered a Kaepernick-branded long-sleeved T-shirt and football jersey, both of which were released in limited-edition fashion and sold out.