Nike doubles down on controversial Just Do It ads - 1st Colin Kaepernick, now they've released one featuring Caster Semenya

What I really think is that Nike ran the CS add because they figure the average uninformed person thinks Caster is just some woman from South Africa with amazing running talent and the mean old patriarchy is trying to keep her from competing because she challenges the idea of what a woman is supposed to be. I think the typical sports fan (not the letsrun crowd) doesn't even know that the debate over intersex plays any role at all.

And it makes sense that most people don't even know the debate is over intersex athletes, when the larger conversation in our culture can't even agree that XX=female and XY=male. There isn't even a consensus on this simple biological fact, let alone someone with a biological developmental pathology.

As for the Kapernick add, Nike is making the same calculus. They figure the average uniformed person really does think that there are some cops who are hunting black people for sport, and getting away with it. After all, that is what the established media would have you think.

In other words, Nike's target customer is stupid people who just buy the popular fashion brands that the other "cool kids" are wearing, and they don't give two seconds of critical thought to any political question.

The evidence is they allow her to run as a female. IAAF did the testing and confirmed she is female.

Rojo - I've been following your coverage of the Semenya debate. Can you please cite your sources that confirm she is " xy chromosonally, has internal testicles and no ovaries?" I can't find any. Thanks in advance.

I agree 100%

Jerry Maguire wrote:

Caster Semenya? Hmmm NO. I feel it is wrong for them to even get involved in this discussion since they are a MAJOR player in the sport. Now they are essentially spreading propaganda, the majority of people either think Caster has a penis, or view it as a discrimination against trans people and fail to fully grasp the massive advantage she has over female athletes. I feel the entire situation is a massive contradiction, allowing her to compete is pissing all over Women's rights.

I agree with this 100 percent.

And for the Brojos to threaten people who tell the truth about this issue is disingenuous.

Are you serious? wrote:

The evidence is they allow her to run as a female. IAAF did the testing and confirmed she is female.

That's a total lie.

To the contrary, the testing was done and found the opposite of what you said, which is why Semenya and at least 2 others were returned to reduce their testosterone levels for 2 years. The only reason they were not banned outright was due to CAS, which didn't want to infringe on their rights to "choose" what sex they were.

The CAS decision was totally ridiculous. They should have been banned from the start, and hopefully soon will be.

*required

Nike just announced they are going to change their slogan from just do it to ball out.

While I'm against Caster competing with women who can most likely give birth, and were not born with internal testes / with that clear testosterone advantage - I think this is a good move by Nike to call more attention to better answers for complex and even simple situations.

-Kneeling at the national anthem is an issue of freedom of speech and it will come out that the NFL brass colluded to shut down the players' rights to free speech/expression. It is clear that the NFL has tried to align itself with the US Military and "patriotism" (emphasis on quotes) as mostly an emotional and manipulative (but very effective) marketing ploy.

Good for Nike, and phoeey on anyone who can't handle this. The country was founded on freedom from oppression, you don't get to say what other's can or cannot do in freedom of speech, and you don't get to control how other human beings live their lives within the laws and the rule of law this nation has supported for nearly 250 years. Live, and let live. If you broil over this stuff, you deserve the heart-attack you are earning yourself.

Go learn to meditate, don't worry, be happy, enjoy your beer and porn in private.

celery wrote:

Silly repubs wrote:

Lol the Repubs didn’t end slavery. The Repubs a century and a half ago did. Those ones are dead and buried and turned to dust, as are their children and their children’s children.

And the people who owned slaves are dead and buried and turned to dust, as are their children and their children's children. So can we stop talking about slavery and the inherent racism of the USA already? If you wanna talk about Jim Crow laws, the democrats who pushed those are also dead and buried. So stfu about racism already. This issue was on its death bed until Barak (my son would have looked like Trayvon) Obama did everything he could to revive it.

Celery...you can't be this blind. You sound intentionally obtuse. You sound a lot like DiscoGary....

You honestly believe Obama revived racism? You honestly believe that? The inherent racism IS and has always been here. People who supported Jim Crow laws are still alive today. You can't tell me that having a black president didn't motivate racists to be more vocal.

Here you are claiming that racism was dead before Obama. How? Give me examples, please. Not anecdotes, but population-wide statistics that show there is no racism in America.

And a bunch of kneeling supporters get caught peeing on flags in a veterans cemetery. Tells me all I need to know about this subject.

Almostsbs wrote:

And a bunch of kneeling supporters get caught peeing on flags in a veterans cemetery. Tells me all I need to know about this subject.

Where? Story? So IF that even actually happened, those individuals represent all kneeling supporters?

I'm a veteran and a kneeling supporter. What do you have to say about that?

"Posts calling Semenya a "he" will be deleted."

Why would you delete someone's post because you dislike it? Are you unable to handle it when others have a differing opinion. I doubt he would care.

celery wrote:

Silly repubs wrote:

Lol the Repubs didn’t end slavery. The Repubs a century and a half ago did. Those ones are dead and buried and turned to dust, as are their children and their children’s children.

And the people who owned slaves are dead and buried and turned to dust, as are their children and their children's children. So can we stop talking about slavery and the inherent racism of the USA already? If you wanna talk about Jim Crow laws, the democrats who pushed those are also dead and buried. So stfu about racism already. This issue was on its death bed until Barak (my son would have looked like Trayvon) Obama did everything he could to revive it.

Couldn't have said it better.

Sure you could have. That was a load of garbage. Your name is fitting.

sounds more masculine than me wrote:

"She" sounds more masculine than I do and I'm a male.

sounds more masculine than most men. is that her real voice?

Nike probably is also banking on the average person not realizing Caster is competing as a female. When people outside the sport that I know see her picture they think male and the name doesn't give away that she is female. At least there doesn't seem be a "me too" risk here.

notRojo wrote:

"Posts calling Semenya a "he" will be deleted."

Why would you delete someone's post because you dislike it? Are you unable to handle it when others have a differing opinion. I doubt he would care.

Are you serious? wrote:

The evidence is they allow her to run as a female. IAAF did the testing and confirmed she is female.

You have obviously not started to question authority or think for yourself. You should try it. It's really fun and liberating.