Nike unveils ad featuring Colin Kaepernick that will air during NFL opener

Nike launched its new advertising campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick this week in advance of the start of the 2018 season, and the timing was hardly a coincidence.

The “Just Do It” ads featuring Kaepernick and other star athletes were only the start. As Darren Rovell revealed on Wednesday, an ad that is voiced over by Kaepernick is set to air during Thursday night’s game between the Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles. Here’s the commercial:

FIRST LOOK: New Nike “Just Do It” ad, voiced by @Kaepernick7, scheduled to air, as of now, on tomorrow night’s Falcons-Eagles season opener. pic.twitter.com/FZpUhdOlWW

— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) September 5, 2018

Nike has received plenty of backlash for using Kaepernick to commemorate the 30th anniversary of its “Just Do It” slogan, but the sports apparel company obviously knew that was coming. Even if there have been strong negative reactions, the social media numbers tell the story.

Nike’s new campaign features star athletes like Serena Williams and Odell Beckham Jr. in addition to Kaepernick. It has also been endorsed by LeBron James, so there is plenty of support.