The Air Max 1 USA sneakers were slated to be put on sale by Nike to celebrate Independence Day. But after criticism from former NFL player Colin Kaepernick, the patriotic shoes were withdrawn from stores, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The reason? Kaepernick said that the shoes, which sported the original Betsy Ross flag with the 13 stars to represent the colonies, is connected to slavery. This drew criticism from people like Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and even former Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush.
This will go down as one of the dumbest moves by a company in recent times. Worse, it is offensive to millions. https://t.co/EJ0lp49fJi
— Jeb Bush (@JebBush) July 2, 2019
It’s a good thing @Nike only wants to sell sneakers to people who hate the American flag.... @NFL #HappyFourth https://t.co/G6w8vDjvLP
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) July 2, 2019
But it wasn't just criticism that Nike received. There was action as well, Ariz. Gov. Doug Ducey (R) announced on Twitter that his state would be pulling their financial incentives out of a deal to bring a Nike facility to the state. That deal that was supposed to be announced this week.
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
Arizona’s economy is doing just fine without Nike. We don’t need to suck up to companies that consciously denigrate our nation’s history. 8/
— Doug Ducey (@dougducey) July 2, 2019