The Nike Betsy Ross Flag sneakers are no longer available for sale after alleged complaints about the imagery.
Reports claim that private complaints were made to Nike (NYSE:NKE) over the flag that appears on the shoes. This flag is the Betsy Ross flag, which features 13 starts in a circle. The flag is from early in America’s history and was made during the Revolutionary War.
The complaint about the Nike Betsy Ross Flag sneakers reportedly comes from former NLF player Colin Kaepernick. He allegedly complained about the flag used on the shoes due to it being from a period in America’s history where slavery was still legal.
Nike is indeed pulling the shoes from stores, but hasn’t mentioned any complaints. Instead, it simply notes that the reason has to do with the version of the flag that appears on the shoes, reports SFGate.
Nike is also seeing political pushback for pulling the shoes. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey is seeking to cancel tax breaks for the company to build a factory in the state. He sent a letter to the Arizona Commerce Authority ordering the change to take place.
With the Nike Betsy Ross Flag sneakers being pulled from store shelves, they are now showing up online for absurd prices. This has some resellers of the shoes asking for more than $2,000 over on StockX. That’s much higher than the original retail price of $120.
As of this writing, William White did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.
