Just in time for Independence Day, athletic shoemaker Nike made a move that will cause them some temporary grief
The company had planned to release the Air Max 1-which sounds like some advanced military weapon but is just a pricey sneaker-emblazoned with the classic 13-star "Betsy Ross" flag for the Fourth of July. They announced the new design and shipped the shoes to stores in anticipation of hot demand.
Just one problem. It seems that some folks find that flag controversial, especially former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick According to the Wall Street Journal, Kaepernick asked Nike to reconsider because the flag represents a time when slavery was legal and would send the wrong message on race in the U.S.
I'm not kidding.
Not kidding about this, either-Nike complied. The company announced it was canceling the release and may be recalling the shoes. Now, to me this is just dumb. A U.S. flag sends the wrong message on race? Give me a break. Still, Nike is a big company and if they want to take a bath over some preposterous stand, more power to them. No skin off my nose. They have their opinion, I have mine.
We could dismiss this as just another example of an oversensitive, politically correct culture run amok. But the story doesn't end there.
That's because the whole thing is such a delicious, perfect hot potato for those who put political gain above everything else. Knowing this is just the kind of thing that will keep an already riled-up base riled, conservative media and political figures seized the opportunity to do just that.
Our own U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz is a good example. The Texas Republican wasn't about to let this one pass unexploited and so tweeted: "It's a good thing @Nike only wants to sell sneakers to people who hate the American flag "
Misleading at the least, but no doubt his true believers will eat that up.
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey went so far as to pull tax incentives offered to lure a Nike manufacturing facility to his state. Counterproductive, but the move should boost him a few points in popularity.
This outrage of the day is all over social media, with calls for boycotts and even burning of the company's products.
I said temporary grief because Nike will survive just fine. The same thing happened when Nike entered into a sponsorship deal with Kaepernick, who had incurred the ire of conservatives by taking a knee-and sparking a trend-during the national anthem. The anger was intense for a few days, then something else came along. Something else always comes along.
Independence Day is tomorrow. Expect to see a lot of American flags flying at homes and businesses. There will be fireworks and patriotic music.
I have to wonder, though. Are we just putting on a show or do we actually believe in the things this country was founded for?
Things like free speech and free expression. It seems these days we can't just disagree and go on about our lives. No, we have to punish the other side. Be it left or right, any dissent must have consequences. People have to lose their careers, businesses must be boycotted.
No matter the issue, the left and right share a couple of things in common-a thin skin and a mean streak.
We can argue, we can protest, we can condemn. Make our feelings known. We don't have to like what others believe, say or do. But in the end, do we really want to be a society where people are afraid to speak and act because of what might happen to their livelihood or even their lives?
There is the trumpeting of American values-and then there is actually living up to them. That's a choice we all have to make.