Source: Ralph Freso / Getty
Instead of creating a pathway for 500 necessary jobs in the state of Arizona, Gov. Doug Ducey has announced he’ll cut promised aid to bring a Nike plant to Phoenix. The reason is Nike’s decision to not run with its Independence Day Betsy Ross flag Air Max sneakers, with Gov. Ducey missing a grand opportunity to sit down and trying to understand the larger picture there.
Via a tweet thread Tuesday morning (July 2) after the news broke, Gov. Ducey wrote the following:
Today was supposed to be a good day in Arizona, with the announcement of a major @Nike investment in Goodyear, AZ. And then this news broke yesterday afternoon. Words cannot express my disappointment at this terrible decision. I am embarrassed for Nike. Nike is an iconic American brand and American company. This country, our system of government and free enterprise have allowed them to prosper and flourish. Instead of celebrating American history the week of our nation’s independence, Nike has apparently decided that Betsy Ross is unworthy, and has bowed to the current onslaught of political correctness and historical revisionism.
Gov. Ducey drones on about Nike’s decision being a “shameful retreat” and other color words that incite support from the Right and critics who continue to miss Colin Kaepernick’s point of what the flag has been used for and why Nike shouldn’t align itself with that image considering.
This could have been a moment Gov. Ducey sat down with Nike and get a better understanding of the company’s decision instead of launching off assumptive tweets that Nike is being anti-American and keeping folks from celebrating the nation’s independence. Not only does Nike not have the power to stop folks from engaging in said celebrations, the company certainly isn’t trying to.
If you must read Gov. Ducey’s whiny diatribe, peep it out below.
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Photo: Getty
Petty Politics: Arizona Governor Cancels Aid To Nike Plant Over Betsy Ross Sneaker Beef was originally published on hiphopwired.com
