Music superstar Pharrell Williams is most famous for being “Happy” and being an esteemed judge on The Voice, but the skateboarding music producer and performer is also a revolutionary. Pharrell made a direct appeal to the people of the world and perhaps especially NFL players, tweeting “if you see the potential for good, speak up this season. Don’t be Quiet Please.” Pharrell tagged his tweet with #adidasPharrellWilliams. Marcus Peters, star cornerback for the Kansas City Chiefs, heard Pharrell loud and clear. And in an “actions speak louder than words” display, Peters took a seat during the National Anthem during the NFL season opener, continuing the protest of QB Colin Kaepernick, whose civil disobedience probably cost him his job.
Pharrell showed off his Adidas with “Liberty” and “Justice For All” in his tweet. Marcus Peters did the same with his Adidas cleats (see below). It’s a bold connection for Adidas to embrace, and extremely rare among corporations who like to encourage customers to be bold while taking the safe route on social matters themselves. Here Adidas appears to be embracing the players and musicians who protest — and as a result Adidas looks like it’s taking sides. You might reasonably ask how much of a risk is it to stand up for ideas like “liberty and justice for all”? But truly standing behind athletes and people who make waves and rock the status quo is unusual for a company.
Stand for what you stand in. If you see the potential for good, speak up. Don’t be Quiet. @Fam1stfam #adidasPharrellWilliams pic.twitter.com/zGWrCSqVtT
— Marcus Peters (@marcuspeters) September 7, 2017
If you see the potential for good, speak up this season. Don’t be Quiet Please. #adidasPharrellWilliams pic.twitter.com/QD5DGiBKrQ
— Pharrell Williams (@Pharrell) September 7, 2017
