This archive report was first published on 2 July 2019.
On July 4, 2019, Nike unveiled the Air Max 1 USA, a shoe featuring an American Revolution-era design known as the Betsy Ross flag. However, the company quickly withdrew the shoe after former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick expressed his concerns about the design.
Kaepernick, a Nike endorser, had previously led kneeling protests during the national anthems of NFL games in 2016 to protest racial inequality and social injustice. He argued that the design featuring 13 white stars in a circle was offensive because it was associated with a period of slavery in the US.
White supremacist groups had also recently adopted the design, which further fueled Kaepernick's concerns. Nike shipped the shoes to retailers but then asked for them back, and had taken the design off its website.
"Nike has chosen not to release the Air Max 1 Quick Strike Fourth of July as it featured the old version of the American flag," a Nike spokesman told The Wall Street Journal.
The price of a few pairs available on an online shoe reseller rose to as much as $2,000 (Sh200,000) following the publication of the article.
