Vocal Eagles show support for Nike and Colin Kaepernick's bold message

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The sporting and political world was buzzing on Monday when former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick shared an image to social media with a powerful message: “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.”

It was accompanied by the Nike swoosh as well as “Just Do It.”

Nike decided to make Kaepernick the face of its 30th anniversary campaign for their famous “Just Do It” slogan. 

Like most politically charged things in America these days, the image drew praise and criticism from opposing sides. 

Progressives loved it while conservatives were upset with Nike’s decision to make a statement on a divisive topic. 

Many in the sporting world showed their support, including Nike athletes LeBron James and Serena Williams. Two of the most outspoken Philadelphia Eagles when it comes to social activism, Malcolm Jenkins and Chris Long, shared their support of Nike and Kaepernick’s message. 

Long took to Twitter on Sunday evening in response to some on social media showing outrage by burning Nike sneakers. "Nike is a huge business. They’ve calculated risk. They may even have reason to believe this will make the brand more popular which means the guy burning his white air monarchs is in the minority. Bitter pill to swallow, I’m sure. Good luck w the protest. Bet they anticipated it," Long tweeted

Jenkins took to Twitter on Monday morning to show his support for Nike for making a bold statement, hoping other companies would follow suit.

The Eagles safety has been an active member of the NFL's Players Colation, attempting to raise awareness for social justice issues by raising his fist during the national anthem during the 2017 season. So far in 2018 during the preseason, he has opted to stay inside of the tunnel during the anthem. How he handles the anthem during the regular season remains to be seen.

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