What in the name of Yankee Doodle Dandy were they thinking?
Nike has decided to yank a shoe that featured a colonial version of the American flag designed by Betsy Ross after ex-NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick told company officials he was offended by the flag.
The Wall Street Journal reports Kaepernick told Nike that it should not sell a shoe “with a symbol that he and others consider offensive.”
The heel of the patriotic sneaker featured a U.S. flag with 13 white stars in a circle, a version of the flag commonly known as the Betsy Ross flag.
Nike is yanking a sneaker featuring the “Betsy Ross flag” after Colin Kaepernick said he and others consider the symbol to be offensive https://t.co/eKVtPM6oTA
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) July 1, 2019
The shoe had already been shipped to retailers, but the company has since ordered the product recalled, the Journal reports.
“Mr. Kaepernick, a Nike endorser, reached out to company officials saying that he and others felt the Betsy Ross flag is an offensive symbol because of its connection to an era of slavery, the people said. Some users on social media responded to posts about the shoe with similar concerns,” the newspaper reported.
I’m not a big fan of boycotts, but in this particular case I’m going to make an exception. Every freedom-loving American should consider purchasing their high-dollar sneakers at a sporting goods store that loves the red, white & blue.
And in lieu of fireworks, maybe we could all celebrate our nation’s birthday by setting our old Nike shoes ablaze.