Nike NKE, -0.15% kicked off another controversy this week when it announced that it’s canceling a new sneaker featuring an early American flag after former NFL star Colin Kaepernick complained the symbolism is offensive.
The noted Anthem-kneeler isn’t the first to have a problem with the so-called Betsy Ross flag, which, according the NAACP, has been appropriated by white supremacist groups in recent years. In 2016, a Michigan school superintendent issued an apology after students waved the flag at a high-school football game.
The governor of Arizona, however, doesn’t see it that way.
‘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.’
That’s just part of Doug Ducey’s tweetstorm that went viral on Tuesday morning. He went on to say he’s “embarrassed” for Nike’s “terrible” decision.
“It is a shameful retreat for the company. American businesses should be proud of our country’s history, not abandoning it,” Ducey wrote early Tuesday morning, according to his verified Twitter TWTR, +0.25% account.
Here’s the full thing:
Another government official chimed in, echoing Ducey’s take:
Before this development, Nike had planned to build a plant in Goodyear, Ariz., investing $184.5 million and creating more than 500 jobs, according to ABC 15. The city had agreed to waive nearly $1 million in plan review and permit fees.
Investors aren’t reacting to the controversy in any significant way. At last check, Nike shares were off fractionally.
As for the shoes, some of them had already changed hands online, The Wall Street Journal reported. One pair fetched as much as $2,000.
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