The Mayor of This Louisiana Town Just Banned Nike Products

It makes one wonder how a simple Nike ad, featuring an athlete who was protesting racial discrimination, could lead to such an uproar.

Nike placing Colin Kaepernick as one of the athletes in its 30 year anniversary “Just Do It” campaign led to major backlash with shares dropping immediately on the news. Many across the nation took to burning their Nike gear as a response and one Mayor even took it a step further.

According to Times-Picayune, Ben Zahn, the Republican mayor of Kenner, La., instructed the city’s recreation department to not buy anything that showed the Nike logo.

Author and political strategist Donna Brazile, shared the memo about the ban on Twitter with the letter reading: “Effective immediately all purchases made by any booster club operating at any Kenner Recreation Facility for wearing apparel, shoes, athletic equipment and/or any athletic product must be approved by the Director of Parks and Recreation, or his designee. Under no circumstances will any Nike product or any product with the Nike logo be purchased for use or delivery at any City of Kenner Recreation Facility.”

Many Kenner residents were less than thrilled with the move and some users encouraged the city’s residents to vote, presumably to vote Zahn out of office.

One Twitter user with the handle @SparrowElle wrote, “People there need to demand the mayor explain himself. What about supporting someone protesting the killing of unarmed people makes Nike unacceptable to this mayor? And don’t anybody buy the “it’s against the troops” BS because a veteran suggested the kneeling in the first place.”

Owen Rey, the booster club president for Kenner’s Susan Park Playground, told New Orleans’ WWL-TV, “If we have something that we feel that we want, that’s going to benefit our kids, it shouldn’t matter what logo, what brand, as long as it helps the kids, and what we’re trying to accomplish at the park.”

Kenner City Councilman Gregory Carroll wrote on Facebook, “I was not made aware of this decision beforehand and it is in direct contradiction of what I stand for and what the City of Kenner should stand for. I am 100% AGAINST this decision. I will meet with the Mayor and other Council members in an effort to rescind this directive.”

Despite all that, Nike shares came back roaring and online sales for the retailer have done the same. According to research from Edison Trends, Nike online sales had surge 31% in three days, with one of those days being the day Nike ran its first add with Kaepernick.

Disclaimer: We have no position in Nike Inc. (NYSE: NKE) and have not been compensated for this article.