Nike recently caused outrage by releasing an England women’s football kit without including apparel for goalkeeper Mary Earps. Now they are on the backfoot once again after making a controversial change on its latest England kit, and even politicians are sticking the boot in on the update.
What have Nike changed on the England Kit?
The new England shirt includes an updated version of England’s St. George’s flag. Traditionally, the flag, originating in the middle ages, is emblazoned with a red cross on a white background paying tribute to the miliary saint. However, Nike have taken a bold decision and have reimagined the flag to include shades of blue, purple, and red.
A playful update to the 🏴 of St. George appears on the collar to unite and inspire. pic.twitter.com/lXEjXhbIJO
— Nike Football (@nikefootball) March 18, 2024
In a post on X, Nike called the change “A playful update on the flag of St. George,” and explained that the hope was that it would “unite and inspire.” Many people are unhappy with Nike’s flag change, however. In an interview with The Sun, England’s Labour Party Leader voiced his opinion that the flag did not need to be reimagined. And, in a rare case of opposing politicians agreeing with each other, The Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak said; “Obviously, I prefer the original and my general view is when it comes to our national flags, we shouldn’t mess with them because they are a source of pride, identity, who we are and they are perfect as we are.”
The comments have also come flooding in on X. “How interesting. Could you show us which other country’s flags you have done this do,” wrote one user. “How did no one at Nike, not one person say ‘This might be a bad idea,’” commented another. In fact, after scrolling and scrolling, it became clear that positive opinions on this latest concept from Nike are hard to find. So, perhaps it has united many people after all.