According to Bloomberg News, Nike has been forced to pull their new Air Max 1 USA shoes that has a Betsy Ross flag illustrated on them. Nike intended these shoes to be in celebration of America’s Independence Day and were scheduled to be released on July 4th. According to the article, “it’s the second time in two weeks that company has had to pull shoes out of political concern”(Bloomberg News). Many ambassadors also spoke out against the issue.

According to the Wall Street Journal, former NFL player, Colin Kaepernick, a large ambassador for Nike’s products, had also asked Nike to remove the shoes and immediately spoke out to them after the release. Kaepernick stated that “ the flag is an offensive symbol because of its connection to an era of slavery”(Bloomberg News). Kaepernick has also said to have previous issues with Nike and their advertisement techniques.

These shoes have made quite an impact on Nike’s reputation. Before these shoes were released, Nike had to withdraw another pair of limited edition shoes in China due to a conflict with the Japanese designer. The Nike team wasn’t immediately able to released any comments about the withdrawal of the release.

Nike tried to clarify that the original intent of the shoe as a celebration of independence with the 13 white stars in a circle on the heel. Many people have since reminded Nike that the symbol had a second meaning to the far right groups during the revolutionary period and it carries a negative connotation.

Nike had plans to open a new plant near Phoenix, Arizona, that was supposed to bring in almost 500 jobs in the first five years of working. The current governor of Arizona had tweeted that he “ordered the Arizona Commerce Authority to withdraw all financial incentive dollars”(Bloomberg News) that they were planning to put towards the new plant. The governor also tweeted about the “embarrassment” Nike has caused itself by releasing the shoes.

In my opinion, if Nike had a previous conflict with another limited edition shoe, it would have been in their best interest to keep off the political radar for a good period of time. The fact that not one, but two shoe designs were deemed inappropriate by the public can have damaging effects on their reputation. Nike is going to be forced to take responsibility for their actions and be extra careful with their next moves to aid the company back to their original standing with consumers.

Many people know that Nike sells good quality products but now that this negative spotlight has hit them, people may not be inclined to buy their products as much. To endorse a company that has had more than just the two scandals in the past is a moral decision a consumer has to make. 

Article: https://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/nike-pulls-betsy-ross-flag-sneakers-after-kaepernick-complains/2181141