Another major American holiday, another controversy involving Nike and Colin Kaepernick.
Nike, which made the former quarterback the face of an ad campaign that kicked off around Labor Day and led to some people boycotting the brand (but also netted it $6 billion in market value), reportedly pulled a sneaker featuring the original U.S. flag designed by Betsy Ross which was set to drop in honor of Independence Day at the request of Kaepernick.
The flag on the Air Max 1 Quick Strike Fourth of July, which features 13 stars in a circle, is considered to be an offensive symbol by Kaepernick thanks to its connection to a time period when slavery was legal, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Colin Kaepernick reached out to Nike saying that he and others felt the Betsy Ross flag is an offensive symbol because of its connection to an era of slavery https://t.co/6Y2mIlbAuT
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) July 2, 2019
“Nike has chosen not to release the Air Max 1 Quick Strike Fourth of July as it featured the old version of the American flag,” a Nike spokeswoman said, according to The Journal.
Though Nike did ship some of the shoes to retailers, it requested for them to be returned without explaining why. A few pairs nonetheless landed in the hands of customers and are being sold on the secondary market for as much as $2,000.
Following news of Nike nixing the shoe, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey announced he was ordering the Arizona Commerce Authority to withdraw incentives for the apparel company building a manufacturing plant in the state.
Ducey explained his decision in a series of Twitter posts.
Instead of celebrating American history the week of our nation’s independence, Nike has apparently decided that Betsy Ross is unworthy, and has bowed to the current onslaught of political correctness and historical revisionism. 5/
— Doug Ducey (@dougducey) July 2, 2019
Nike has made its decision, and now we’re making ours. I’ve ordered the Arizona Commerce Authority to withdraw all financial incentive dollars under their discretion that the State was providing for the company to locate here. 7/
— Doug Ducey (@dougducey) July 2, 2019
And finally, it shouldn’t take a controversy over a shoe for our kids to know who Betsy Ross is. A founding mother. Her story should be taught in all American schools. In the meantime, it’s worth googling her. 9/9
— Doug Ducey (@dougducey) July 2, 2019
Kaepernick declined to comment on the matter to The Journal.
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