An athletic company’s choice to campaign on “America-hate” instead of excellence found Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R) reminding of the financial consequences that come with going woke.
In recent years, many have credited Elon Musk for his purchase and transformation of Twitter into X as pivotal in pushing back on the globalist Marxist agenda permeating society’s institutions. As pivotal as free speech absolutism has proven, Nike’s stock suggested an earlier turning point against the “woke mind virus” as Cruz deemed a 12-year low both “sad & predictable.”
This week, the value of shares in Nike sank below $40, continuing a downward trend over the past 5 years that has seen the loss of nearly 80% in market cap. Reacting to a post from meme-maker Douglass Mackey that offered a list of key moments exacerbating the decline, the senator highlighted the cancelation of a Betsy Ross flag-adorned sneaker over a complaint by former NFL kneeler Colin Kaepernick.
“Sad & predictable. @nike lost me at #2,” wrote Cruz. “For my whole life, I wore nearly 100% Nike for athletic wear. 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. #GoWokeGoBroke.”
Sad & predictable.@nike lost me at #2.
For my whole life, I wore nearly 100% Nike for athletic wear.
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,… https://t.co/QpgqtCrScf
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) August 18, 2026
In addition to Kaepernick’s prominence in Nike’s 30th anniversary campaign and the Betsy Ross shoe, Mackey — whom the Biden administration’s Justice Department prosecuted for election interference, only for the conviction to be overturned — called out a partnership with gender ideologue and Bud Light buster Dylan Mulvaney, DEI workforce quotas, alphabet activism and the firing of Kyrie Irving for his career-risking stance against COVID jab mandates.
“Nike was swallowed by the HR and PR ladies from colleges like Vassar and Oberlin,” concluded Mackey in reaction to a reminder of how former ESPN reporter Ethan Strauss foresaw the error of Nike’s ways, falling away from its focus on a male customer base inspired by athletes like Michael Jordan while simultaneously missing the mark on trying to grow a female-focused market to compete with Lululemon.
The latest on Nike’s finances follows a report from earlier this year on the athletic company’s downgrade. Analysts at CNBC, Bank of America and JPMorgan each saw a bleak near future for Nike as the company’s earnings report anticipated a 2-4% decline in annual sales for fiscal Q4. At the time, shares had dropped to under $45.
Meanwhile, the brand known for its “Just Do It” slogan was counted among companies profiting from the Supreme Court’s ruling on President Donald Trump’s tariffs as they double-dipped, reaping the fees passed onto the consumers as well as the refunds ordered by the court. Nike was said to have secured nearly $1 billion from the decision and still managed to reach its lowest value in more than a decade.
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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