Wow, who better to police the sale of athletic shoes than a man who hasn’t needed to wear a pair in nearly three seasons.
I am taking a shot, of course, at Colin Kaepernick, the out of work quarterback-turned-activist, who has used his considerable clout within the Nike empire to halt production of a Betsy Ross flag-themed shoe.
The Air Max 1 USA was to have been released this week, but Kaepernick objected because of a 13-star, American Revolution-era U.S. flag on the heel of the shoe.
Kaepernick considers the emblem offensive, because it has been co-opted by white nationalist groups, and because of its connection to slavery. I will give him that.
White nationalists and slavery bad—very bad.
But don’t they win completely win by ruining the first U.S. flag ever for everybody and not allowing people who wear it with pride the chance to buy these overpriced sneakers?
I guess that is a matter of opinion, but Nike sided with Kap and decided to pull the kicks.
And that is great news for anyone who was able to get their hands on a pair, as TMZ reported a pair just sold for 2500 bucks.
Way to go Colin—at least you’re making someone money.
And hey, Kap is probably doing Nike a favor. Korean children in sweatshops have no idea what an American flag looks like.
Source: Mercury News