Auction site removes controversial 'Betsy Ross' Nike trainers after being on sale for thousands

‘The sale of this product on our platform does not align with our value system’

(Nike)

A streetwear auction site has removed a pair of controversial Nike trainers from sale, saying that the product does reflect the company's "value system".

Earlier this week, it was announced that Nike had cancelled the release of a pair of Air Max 1 trainers designed in celebration of Independence Day in the US.

The design had reportedly been dubbed offensive by former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick for featuring an early version of the American flag designed by Betsy Ross.

The early design of the flag – which features 13 stripes and 13 stars as a representation of the original US colonies – caused controversy due to its associations with slavery.

Despite being removed from sale by Nike, the trainers were still being sold on StockX.com for up to $2,500 (£1,988), approximately 20 times the product's retail price.

According to Bloomberg, 67 purchases of the trainers had been made on the site as of Tuesday morning.

On Tuesday, Scott Cutler, CEO of StockX.com, announced that the site had removed the trainers from sale.

"We have decided to remove the Nike Air Max 1 USA from our site today and prohibit any further sales of this item on @StockX as the sale of this product on our platform does not align with our value system," Cutler tweeted.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Nike confirmed that the company had chosen not to release the trainers on Monday as previously planned.

Following the news of the trainers' removal by Nike, several people took to social media to explain the offensive nature of the "Betsy Ross" flag featured on the shoes.

"The 'Betsy Ross' flag has been turned into a symbol of white nationalism and domestic extremism," one person wrote in a tweet which has garnered more than 10,000 likes.

"Conservatives will whine, but Colin Kaepernick was right to speak out and Nike was right to pull the products."

In September 2018, it was announced that a Nike advertisement featuring Kaepernick would run during the opening game of the NFL season.

In February this year, Kaepernick, who began the "take a knee" national anthem protest against police brutality in the NFL, was named the new face of Nike's "Just Do It" campaign.

“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of colour,” Kaepernick said in a press conference after first sitting out during America's national anthem prior to an NFL game.

“To me, this is bigger than football, and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way."