"Beating A Dead Horse" - 7/2/19 Edition
Nike pulled an American flag-themed shoe design, after company endorser and former NFL player Colin Kaepernick said he and others find the specific flag design offensive, as it is associated with the time of slavery in America, according to a new report from the Wall Street Journal.
The company slated the Air Max 1 USA to go on sale this week, in tandem with the Fourth of July. The heel of the shoe featured a version of the United States flag with 13 white stars, which was created circa the 1770s during the American Revolution and is commonly referred to as the "Betsy Ross" flag.
After images of the shoe started appearing online, Kaepernick reportedly reached out to the company and said that people, himself included, considered the "Betsy Ross" flag an "offensive symbol because of its connection to an era of slavery," according to The Journal.
The flag also sparked controversy back in 2016 after students waved it at a high school football game. Some parents and students left the game "unsettled," as the flag was seen by some as a symbol of white supremacy and white nationalism, according to Mlive.com, a local news outlet.
https://www.aol.com/article/news/2019/07/02/nike-faces-backlash-on-social-media-after-pulling-us-flag-shoe-design-days-before-the-fourth-of-july/23761086/
And then Ted Cruz's response:
"I love America. I stand for the anthem, respect the flag & honor the men & women who fought to defend our Nation. I respect Free Speech & Im exerting mine: until @Nike ends its contempt for those values, I WILL NO LONGER PURCHASE NIKE PRODUCTS. #WalkAwayFromNike RT if you agree."