PHOENIX, AZ – Nike, the world famous shoe brand nearly synonymous with Americana, had planned to roll out a special edition Betsy Ross flag shoe for Independence Day, but they just pulled the plug. Why? Because infamous social justice bench warmer Colin Kaepernick — who has a sponsorship deal with Nike to apparently for waging the social justice war — complained that the Betsy Ross flag shoes had slavery connotations. That’s all it took to reverse this business decision from one of the world’s biggest companies.
The washed-up quarterback’s asinine argument that the flag-themed shoes are delivering a hidden racist message is typical of these triggering events on the Left. By the implied standard, nothing relating to a past that included slavery should ever be referenced openly for fear of triggering social justice warriors. Some may appreciate if the Kaepernicks of the world would follow their own argument to its logical conclusion and stop pushing racism onto everything they see.
Republican Governor of Arizona Doug Ducey is likely one of them, and he’s holding Nike accountable for bowing down to the social justice bullies and pointing out how truly ridiculous opposition to this shoe is. Ducey took Nike to task in a tweet storm that hailed Betsy Ross and our special American heritage and admonished Nike for turning its back on it.
From Fox News:
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey announced Tuesday he was ordering the Arizona Commerce Authority to withdraw incentives for Nike building a manufacturing plant in the state. […]
“Words cannot express my disappointment at this terrible decision. I am embarrassed for Nike,” Ducey, a Republican, tweeted. “Nike is an iconic American brand and American company. This country, our system of government and free enterprise have allowed them to prosper and flourish.
“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. It is a shameful retreat for the company. American businesses should be proud of our country’s history, not abandoning it.
“Nike has made its decision, and now we’re making ours. I’ve ordered the Arizona Commerce Authority to withdraw all financial incentive dollars under their discretion that the State was providing for the company to locate here. 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.
“And finally, it shouldn’t take a controversy over a shoe for our kids to know who Betsy Ross is. A founding mother. Her story should be taught in all American schools. In the meantime, it’s worth googling her.” […]”
Nike has plans to build a massive $184.5 manufacturing plant in Goodyear, Arizona for which it was going to receive millions in government incentives. With Gov. Ducey’s withdrawal of incentives it is unclear if the project moves forward.
What is clear is the message Ducey sent in defending American history and pride while countering the nauseating message from Kaepernick and Nike’s legitimizing of it. More of this pushback against the social justice brigade is needed if we want to maintain a certain level of sanity.
Read more here.
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