Why do it?

Nike has touched off a furor by wading into football's national anthem debate with an ad featuring Colin Kaepernick Tom Kuhnhackl Jersey , the former 49ers quarterback who was the first athlete to kneel during "The Star-Spangled Banner" to protest police brutality against blacks and hasn't played a game since 2016.

The ad copy reads: "Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything."

The ad, part of Nike's 30th anniversary "Just Do it" campaign, has outraged many. Online, people threatened boycotts and posted videos and photos of shoes set on fire, Nike gear thrown in the trash, and swoosh logos cut out of products.

Most big corporations steer clear of politics, and marketing experts disagreed Tuesday over whether the Kaepernick campaign is good business.

But some noted approvingly that it made a big splash and set Nike apart. And they said it could solidify Nike's bond with athletes, especially black ones, an important consideration for a company that relies heavily on sports stars to endorse its products.

Brian Gordon, CEO of Engine Shop, a sports and entertainment marketing agency, said the ad is provocative but "authentic to who they are and the communities they represent and speak to," including the athletes.

"Even in the face of potential backlash, they support their athlete partners, and that's an incredibly powerful statement to the athlete community," Gordon said.

Other athletes in the campaign include tennis star Serena Williams, New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and Shaquem Griffin, a linebacker whose left hand was amputated when he was 4. But the Kaepernick ad struck a nerve, timed just before the NFL season kicks off on Thursday.

Nike did not return a request for comment about its strategy. Its stock closed down more than 3 percent Tuesday.

Neil Saunders Lars Eller Jersey , managing director of the data and analytics firm GlobalData, called the Kaepernick strategy "commercially imprudent."

"Nike's campaign will generate both attention and discussion which is, arguably, one of its central aims," he said. "However, it is also a risky strategy in that it addresses, and appears to take sides on, a highly politicized issue. This means it could ultimately alienate and lose customers, which is not the purpose of a marketing campaign."

But other experts think the strength of Nike's brand will help it weather the storm and perhaps benefit from it, too. Nike is one of the world's largest sports apparel companies, with $34.5 billion in revenue last year.

"What you stand for is almost as important as what you make," said Allen Adamson, co-founder of marketing firm Metaforce. "It's a polarized marketplace. No matter what you do, you offend some people. They're focused on what they stand for, and if that upsets some users, so be it."

Robert Passikoff, founder of marketing consultancy Brand Keys, said an ad like Nike's will divide people, but the outrage won't last.

"My guess is that the audience that is reacting so badly to this aren't buying a lot of Nikes anyway," he said. "They'll move on to the next thing. Welcome to the 21st century."

Nike Womens Evander Kane Jersey , based in Beaverton, Oregon, has made waves before. An ad for the company's sport hijab went viral in 2017. And a 2010 commercial featuring a voiceover by Tiger Woods' late father when the golfer was trying to recover from a sex scandal drew mixed reviews.

In August, Nike made news when the French Open banned Williams' Nike-branded black catsuit. Nike responded by posting an image of her on social media with the line "You can take the superhero out of her costume, but you can never take away her superpowers."

Brands run the risk of a backlash in taking a political stand in their advertising.

Starbucks was mocked in 2015 for trying to start a discussion about race by writing the slogan "Race Together" on its cups. Pepsi ended up pulling a commercial that showed Kendall Jenner giving a Pepsi to a police officer; some said the ad trivialized the "Black Lives Matter" protests.

John Sweeney, sports communication professor at the University of North Carolina, said the Kaepernick ad was created to provoke people, and in that respect, it succeeded.

"You may have a negative reaction or a positive reaction, but you have a reaction," he said. "They wanted something that would stop the presses and stop people in their places."

For some, the ad has made them bigger fans of the brand.

"I think what Nike did was a tremendous step in fighting against the people who misunderstand the protests by Kaep and players," said Seth Buchwalter, of Portland, Oregon, a lifelong Nike customer.

But Wesley Callaway, of Omaha, Nebraska, said he doesn't agree with kneeling during the national anthem and thinks it is unfortunate Nike is featuring Kaepernick, though he said he doesn't buy many Nike products and won't make any changes in his shopping habits.

"I don't mind them protesting brutality Authentic David Perron Jersey ," he said. "I just wish they wouldn't do it during the anthem."

AP Business Writer Josh Funk contributed to this report from Omaha, Nebraska. This article has been corrected to give the correct title for Allen Adamson. It's co-founder of marketing firm Metaforce, not BrandSimple marketing consultant.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indianapolis and Green Bay didn’t wait for this week’s roster moves to start filling holes.

Instead, they cut a deal Sunday.

The Colts traded inside linebacker Antonio Morrison to the Packers for cornerback Lenzy Pipkins, giving each veteran a chance to impress their new coaches in this week’s preseason finales — and a better chance of making the 53-man active roster.

Green Bay already was thin at inside linebacker after incumbent starter Jake Ryan suffered a season-ending torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during training camp. The Packers suffered another blow when Ryan’s replacement, rookie Oren Burks, hurt his shoulder during Friday’s pregame warmups and missed the game against Oakland.

Burks was a third-round draft pick in the spring, but coach Mike McCarthy said Sunday the injury was less severe than initially feared and that the injury would not be long term.

Still, they made the move.

“Antonio is obviously an experienced linebacker, and if you look at the youth of the group, that’s something we felt we needed to add,” McCarthy said. “Lenzy’s a good young corner, did some really good things for us at the end of the year. But we’re very young at that position.”

Getting Morrison could fill one of Green Bay’s most glaring needs.

The 6-foot-1, 241-pound Morrison played in 31 games with the Colts, made 19 starts including 15 last season. He finished among the league’s top 20 in tackles in 2017, leading the Colts with 109.

Morrison was originally the Colts’ fourth-round draft pick in 2016.

But Morrison started sliding down the Colts’ depth chart after new defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus switched from a 3-4 defensive front to the more traditional 4-3, a scheme that requires only one starting inside linebacker. In contrast, Green Bay will continue to use a 3-4 scheme under new defensive coordinator Mike Pettine.

Morrison’s experience also could make him an immediate contributor with starter Blake Martinez, who had 144 tackles last season and finished with a share of the league lead. Martinez started next to undrafted rookie Greer Martini when Burks sat out Friday.

Burks said nobody has given him a timeline for his return and he’s not sure if he’ll be ready for Green Bay’s season opener Sept. 9 against Chicago.

“Shoulder just popped out. It’s unfortunate but it’s part of the game,” Burks said. “Knew something was wrong Womens Devante Smith-Pelly Jersey , obviously, but I’ve never had any shoulder issues before so I didn’t really know what I was feeling or any kinds of things like that. Good evaluation, good feedback from the MRI and things like that.”

Pipkins played in 12 games, mostly on special teams, after making the Packers as an undrafted rookie last season.

He also moved down the depth chart after Green Bay selected cornerbacks Jaire Alexander and Josh Jackson with its top two picks in this year’s draft and re-signed free agent Tramon Williams, who played for Pettine in Cleveland after leaving Green Bay in free agency following the 2014 season.

“Our two rookies played well in the game,” McCarthy said. “But I think it’s just a product of a number of things. It (linebacker) is a position that we wanted to add experience to, and definitely some young guys there that we feel good about.”

With an already young secondary, the Colts figured they’d take a look at the 6-foot, 196-pound Pipkins in Thursday night’s preseason finale at Cincinnati.

Second-year cornerbacks Quincy Wilson and Nate Hairston both missed the Colts’ game with injuries.

Pierre Desir, a fifth-year player who made five of his 12 career starts last season in Indy, and Kenny Moore II, a second-year player who has impressed coaches, have been the starters this preseason.

But Pipkins could help the Colts in nickel or dime packages if Wilson or Hairston are out any significant amount of time.

“We feel like it’s a good fit,” coach Frank Reich said. “He’s a guy that our guys had their eyes on. It’s tough with Antonio because I loved Antonio, I loved the toughness he brought. But I think this was a move that was best for the team.”

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