Nike faces backlash in Japan for ad that attacks racism

Nike is facing a backlash in Japan over a controversial video ad that attacks racism and bullying of Métis school children.

The two-minute “Keep Moving Yourself: The Future” ad features three teenage football girls who are bullied in school, on a train and in a locker room, each wondering whether to accept it. One scene shows a teenage girl, whose father is black, surrounded by girls pulling her hair.

Ultimately, each of the bullied kids scores goals for their teams and is celebrated by their teammates with a statement from Nike “You can’t stop the sport.”

The ad fell on November 30, and has already recorded 14.4 million views, over 64,000 likes and 34,000 retweets on Twitter – along with an avalanche of angry comments, some threatening to boycott the brand.

“Dear Nike executives. We Japanese are not familiar with this type of announcement. We rather hate THIS. Have you heard from local employees? Location is very important. Don’t think about American culture. I wouldn’t hate your business, ”one user tweeted.

“NIKE divides society, creating unnecessary hatred and making it difficult to eliminate discrimination,” tweeted another.

“Congratulation to @Nike for such a bold but much needed announcement… and for those who have commented that this is not a problem in Japan, you should get your eyes checked, ”@ 1987Mamu tweeted.

Japan’s most famous mixed-sport star, tennis player Naomi Osaka, who also struck a deal with Nike, has yet to weigh in on the announcement on her social media.

It remains to be seen whether this ad will hurt sales or have a positive effect, as did the controversial ad featuring former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who inspired professional athletes to kneel down. during the national anthem to protest systemic discrimination in the United States.

In a statement, Nike said the ad “is based on testimonials from real athletes who, like many young people today, find it difficult to feel accepted for who they are,” adding that “discrimination is a problem global and it exists around the world.The testimonials of these true athletes have inspired us to take action and speak more openly about bullying and discrimination.