US Senator Ted Cruz has renewed his criticism of sportswear giant Nike after the company’s shares fell to their lowest level in about 12 years.
The Texas Republican joined the latest wave of criticism directed at the footwear and apparel company, responding to a social media post by conservative influencer Douglass Mackey that listed reasons for Nike’s prolonged decline.
Cruz used the opportunity to revisit his previous boycott of the brand, which began after Nike withdrew a Betsy Ross-themed shoe from its planned 2019 Independence Day release.
“Sad & predictable,” Cruz wrote on X, recalling that Nike’s decision to cancel the shoe was the point at which he stopped supporting the company.
“For my whole life, I wore nearly 100% Nike for athletic wear,” Cruz said. “Kaepernick pissed me off, but when they cancelled the Betsy Ross shoe it showed that their marketing plan was America-hate. I went out & bought brand new shoes, shorts, t-shirts.”
“Turns out I wasn’t the only one,” he added. “#GoWokeGoBroke.”
Nike’s shares have fallen sharply from their record high in 2021, losing nearly 80 per cent of their value and wiping out almost $200 billion from the company’s market capitalisation.
The latest decline has given Cruz another opportunity to criticise the brand, having previously joined conservative calls for a boycott.
In 2019, Nike withdrew its Betsy Ross-themed sneaker after former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick reportedly raised concerns about the design. The shoe featured a Revolutionary-era American flag with 13 white stars arranged in a circle on a blue background.
Kaepernick argued that the flag had been adopted by some white nationalist groups and could evoke the era of slavery in the United States.
Nike subsequently explained that the decision was made because of concerns that the design could “unintentionally offend and detract from the nation’s patriotic holiday.”
Cruz responded by announcing that he would no longer purchase Nike products.
“It’s a good thing @Nike only wants to sell sneakers to people who hate the American flag…. @NFL #HappyFourth,” he wrote on X at the time.
The controversy also drew criticism from other prominent Republicans, including then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
McConnell said the controversy surrounding the American flag was itself troubling and suggested he would support another company that produced a similar product.
“If we’re in a political environment where the American flag has become controversial to Americans, I think we’ve got a problem,” McConnell said.
