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Nike Pulls ‘Betsy Ross Flag’ Sneaker After Criticism of Slavery-Era Imagery Nike Pulls ‘Betsy Ross Flag’ Sneaker After Criticism of Slavery-Era Imagery
(about 1 hour later)
Nike has canceled the release of an Independence Day-inspired sneaker featuring the 13-star flag associated with Betsy Ross after criticism that the shoe celebrated the slavery era. Nike has canceled the release of an America-themed sneaker after criticism of the 13-star “Betsy Ross flag” it featured, starting the latest flare-up in the nation’s culture wars.
The athletic-wear company did not say why it had pulled the sneaker. Images of it had been widely criticized on social media, and The Wall Street Journal reported that Colin Kaepernick, the former N.F.L. quarterback and social justice activist, had privately criticized the design to Nike. The decision was reportedly prompted by Colin Kaepernick, the former N.F.L. quarterback and social justice activist, who had privately criticized the design to Nike, according to The Wall Street Journal. The athletic-wear company did not say why it had pulled the sneaker.
“Nike has chosen not to release the Air Max 1 Quick Strike Fourth of July as it featured an old version of the American flag,” Sandra Carreon-John, a spokeswoman for Nike, said in a statement on Tuesday.“Nike has chosen not to release the Air Max 1 Quick Strike Fourth of July as it featured an old version of the American flag,” Sandra Carreon-John, a spokeswoman for Nike, said in a statement on Tuesday.
The move set off a new round of outrage toward Nike, this time led by prominent conservatives who argued that the decision was unpatriotic. The heels of the shoe feature the flag, in which white stars are arranged in a circle over the traditional field of blue. Betsy Ross, a Philadelphia seamstress, is widely credited with creating the flag at George Washington’s behest, though most scholars dispute that story as legend, according to the Library of Congress.
To many, the flag is merely a relic, a symbol of America’s past. But it has, at least in recent years, cropped up in association with racist ideologies.
When Ku Klux Klan fliers were distributed alongside candy in a New York town last summer, the material featured a Klansman flanked by the Confederate flag and the Betsy Ross flag, according to CNN. Similar imagery was reportedly included in a letter sent to a college newspaper in Washington the year before.
According to a 2013 investigation by The Albany Herald in Georgia, at least some local Klan units were required to use either that flag or the Confederate flag at ritualistic meetings.
News of Nike’s decision ignited outrage, led by prominent conservatives who argued that the decision was unpatriotic.
“It’s a good thing Nike only wants to sell sneakers to people who hate the American flag,” Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, a Republican, wrote on Twitter.“It’s a good thing Nike only wants to sell sneakers to people who hate the American flag,” Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, a Republican, wrote on Twitter.
Herman Cain, the former Republican presidential candidate, tweeted, “Just so you know how this works now: Nothing can happen in America anymore if Colin Kaepernick doesn’t like it.”Herman Cain, the former Republican presidential candidate, tweeted, “Just so you know how this works now: Nothing can happen in America anymore if Colin Kaepernick doesn’t like it.”
The move also had the potential to affect Nike’s business plans in Arizona. The company had announced on Monday that it intended to open a multimillion-dollar facility in Goodyear, Ariz., according to the ABC Arizona affiliate ABC15. The plant would have employed more than 500 people, but after the recall of the sneaker, Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican, expressed his disappointment. The move also had the potential to affect Nike’s business plans in Arizona. The company had announced on Monday that it intended to open a multimillion-dollar facility in Goodyear, Ariz., according to the ABC affiliate ABC15. The plant would have employed more than 500 people, but after the recall of the sneaker, Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican, said he would oppose the company’s plans.
“Words cannot express my disappointment at this terrible decision. I am embarrassed for Nike,” Mr. Ducey tweeted. “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.”“Words cannot express my disappointment at this terrible decision. I am embarrassed for Nike,” Mr. Ducey tweeted. “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.”
He added: “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.”He added: “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.”
Mr. Kaepernick became a face of the social justice movement in 2016 after he began kneeling during the national anthem at San Francisco 49ers games to protest the killings of black people by the police and racial inequality in the United States. Mr. Kaepernick became a face of the social justice movement in 2016 after he began kneeling during the national anthem at San Francisco 49ers games to protest the killing of black people by the police and racial inequality in the United States.
His acts of protest inspired other professional athletes to begin kneeling as well, but they came under fire from politicians including President Trump, who argued that they were disrespecting the country and the military.His acts of protest inspired other professional athletes to begin kneeling as well, but they came under fire from politicians including President Trump, who argued that they were disrespecting the country and the military.
Last year, Nike made Mr. Kaepernick the face of Nike’s “Just Do It” campaign celebrating the company’s 30th anniversary. That decision drew calls for a boycott of Nike.Last year, Nike made Mr. Kaepernick the face of Nike’s “Just Do It” campaign celebrating the company’s 30th anniversary. That decision drew calls for a boycott of Nike.
On an Instagram post of the sneaker that was pulled this week, many commenters criticized the design, connecting it to Mr. Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement and noting how black people were treated in the 13 colonies that the stars represent. For some, the Betsy Ross flag is less representative of a fight for freedom than it is of a period when anyone who was not a white man was oppressed, said Americus Reed, a marketing professor at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
One commenter said, “I wasn’t free yet.” “For lots of people, it’s quite similar to, say, the Confederate flag,” he said. “The revolution now is one of diversity, of all kinds of dimensions that go beyond just white males — women, people of color, people of different sexual orientations. It’s a different world, and it’s a different flag.”