Cubs Double-A Affiliate Tweets and Deletes Joke About Colin Kaepernick-Nike Drama

Just a day after it was reported Colin Kaepernick allegedly influenced Nike to drop an idea for a pair of special edition shoes due to a supposed connection to slavery and White Nationalist groups, a Cubs Double-A affiliate attempted to make an ill-timed joke regarding the matter.

Kaepernick, a Nike endorser, claimed the Betsy Ross flag on the heel of the shoes was connected to slavery and several white nationalist groups. To risk potential backlash, Nike pulled the shoe from shelves.

The Tennessee Smokies apparently thought this whole ordeal was funny.

Yikes. Regardless of where you fall in this debate, we can all agree that this wasn't a wise move by the social media manager, especially given the polarized nature of today's politics.

The Smokies would later apologize for the tweet with the following statement: "Regarding one of our recent tweets regarding @Kaepernick7 and our field design for tonight's game, it was meant to be a light-hearted take on a current situation. We did not mean to offend anyone by it. If it did, we certainly apologize."

The last thing a professional sports organization wants to do is alienate fans. By posting the tweet and then deleting it, the Smokies have found a way to anger both sides of the debate.