Before a single advertisement is ever aired, Nike's new promotional campaign Colin Kaepernick, the quarterback of free agents, has generated a lot of reactions on social networks.

Even President Donald Trump, a frequent Kaepernick critic, felt compelled to weigh.

With the opening of the NFL Thursday season which was delayed nearly an hour by the thunderstorms, the much – anticipated two – minute publicity that was to unfold during the NBC broadcast was a big one. was broadcast only at 22:52. AND – the first timeout of the third quarter.

"If people say your dreams are crazy, they laugh at what you think you can do, well," Kaepernick said at the start of the announcement. "Stay like this because what non-believers do not understand, it's that calling a crazy dream is not an insult, it's a compliment."

The advertisement features LeBron James, Serena Williams, the US Women's National Soccer Team, Alphonso Davies and Shaquill Griffin, a former linebacker from the University of Central Florida who has listed the Seahawks from Seattle. weekend.

As might be expected, several professional athletes tweeted words of support for Kaepernick and Nike.

Meanwhile, at least one veteran has accused Nike of "selling his soul" by using Kaepernick as a spokesperson.

The relatively late hour of advertising during what was at that time a relatively untractive 6-3 match between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Atlanta Falcons could have slowed down social media traffic.

"So do not ask if your dreams are crazy," says Kaepernick at the end of the advertisement. "Ask them if they are crazy enough."

By the time the ad finally hit the airwaves, many potential viewers and commentators of social media may have already begun to dream.

Follow Steve Gardner on Twitter @SteveAGardner.

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