Conservatives are boycotting Nike after it pulled a controversial US flag sneaker, and some want a 'not so woke' alternative
- Prominent conservatives have announced plans to boycott Nike after the company pulled a sneaker featuring an early US flag.
- According to multiple reports, Nike pulled the Air Max 1 USA, which featured a depiction of the 13-star "Betsy Ross flag," after the former NFL player Colin Kaepernick said he and others found the specific flag imagery to be offensive.
- Kaepernick reportedly said the 13-star flag had unwelcome associations with slavery and white supremacy.
- Conservatives including Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and the Fox News host Laura Ingraham tweeted that they would boycott the sportswear giant because the sneakers were pulled.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories
Several prominent conservative figures have announced plans to boycott Nike after the company pulled a sneaker featuring a depiction of the so-called Betsy Ross flag, an early precursor to the Stars and Stripes.
According to multiple reports, Nike pulled the Air Max 1 USA, which was set to launch this week, after the former NFL player Colin Kaepernick said he and others found the shoe's imagery offensive.
The shoe features a 1770s-era flag with 13 white stars. Kaepernick was said to have expressed concerns that this specific American flag had links to the era of slavery and had been embraced more recently by white supremacists.
Soon after Nike announced it would cancel the shoe, conservative figures condemned the decision and said they would no longer buy Nike products.
Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas tweeted that he owned many Nike products but wouldn't be buying any more, and he asked his followers for recommendations of a "good sneaker co that's not so woke."
Yep, I own lots of @Nike I’ve been a life-long customer, since I was kid. But they’ve now decided their shoes represent snide disdain for the American flag. Since they don’t want my business anymore, I won’t buy any more. Can anyone recommend a good sneaker co that’s not so woke? https://t.co/XQfO9Dh737
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) July 2, 2019
Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana echoed Cruz's sentiments, posting a video on Twitter in which he called on followers to tweet pictures of American flags at him.
"Betsy Ross was a leader who put herself into a history dominated by men, to make a statement of FREEDOM - and that should not be twisted by Nike or anyone else," he said.
Betsy Ross was a leader who put herself into a history dominated by men, to make a statement of FREEDOM - and that should not be twisted by #Nike or anyone else. I’ll be posting pictures of flags I see all weekend, and I hope you’ll join me! pic.twitter.com/yUVsTYKuJz
— Bill Cassidy, M.D. (@BillCassidy) July 2, 2019
Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri also backed anti-Nike sentiment, calling the company "anti-American," according to The Hill.
As well as senior Republican politicians, conservative media personalities joined the boycott, with the Fox News host Laura Ingraham saying she would no longer buy Nike sneakers for her or her family.
"No more Nike sneakers for our family," she tweeted.
No more @nike sneakers for our family. “Nike Nixes ‘Betsy Ross Flag’ Sneaker After Colin Kaepernick Intervenes” https://t.co/4Dca4J5bmA
— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) July 2, 2019
Nike faced similar boycott threats just a few months ago, when the company released an ad in September featuring Kaepernick and the words "Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything." Those boycott threats did not appear to gain much traction.
The ad alluded to Kaepernick's kneeling during the national anthem before NFL games in 2016 to protest racial inequality and police brutality, a protest he has argued got him unofficially expelled from the league.