Did they really just do it?
Conservatives roast Nike over canceled shoe
A conservative campaign against Nike gained momentum Wednesday after the company decided to pull a pair of sneakers sporting an early version of the American flag because former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick said it was offensive.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush called the decision to walk back the shoe sale, “one of the dumbest moves by a company in recent times,” on Twitter Tuesday. He countered that nixing the patriotic pair of sneakers, which are now selling for as much as $900 on eBay, is “offensive to millions.”
Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called on Nike to reverse the decision and promised to buy the first pair, while Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) took to Twitter to vow never to buy Nike products again.
“If we’re in a political environment where the American flag has become controversial to Americans, I think we’ve got a problem,” McConnell said Tuesday evening, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader. “I hope Nike either releases these shoes or some other shoe maker picks up the flag, puts it on a pair of shoes and starts selling it. I’ll make the first order.”
Cruz was joined on Twitter by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) and Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana) in denouncing the corporate giant’s decision. Conversely, Democratic presidential candidate Julian Castro said he was “glad to see that” in a CBS News interview Wednesday.
At the heart of the controversy is a pair of shoes with a Betsy Ross flag on the heel, named for its upholsterer, which has 13 stars in the shape of a circle representing the original colonies during the American Revolution.
Nike recalled the shoe after it had been sent to retailers to go on sale this week for the Fourth of July holiday, according to the Wall Street Journal, because Kaepernick criticized the use of the flag since it dates
to the slavery era of American history. Nike did not return requests for comment.
Kaepernick, the star of the brand’s “Just Do It” campaign, gained widespread attention as the first NFL athlete to take a knee in protest during the national anthem.
Donald Trump Jr. tweeted a photo suggesting Nike sell a shoe that displays a symbol associated with general communist movements, apparently likening the company’s views to the former Soviet Union.
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey called the decision a “shameful retreat” for the company, going so far as to cancel all financial incentives for Nike’s new facility in the state.
“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,” Ducey wrote. Bush commended the decision on Twitter, writing, “Good move by a great governor.”
Charlie Kirk, founder of the nonprofit Turning Point USA, an organization that seeks to mobilize young people to advocate for markets and limited government, called the company “anti-American radicals,” on Twitter Wednesday.