MSNBC guest Michael Eric Dyson compared the Betsy Ross American flag to the Nazi swastika and Ku Klux Klan burning cross.

"Words matter. Symbols matter, too," Dyson, an author and Georgetown professor, said Wednesday on MSNBC after being asked if the Nike shoe controversy was just a result of PC culture. "Why don't we wear a swastika for July 4th? Because I don't know, it makes a difference. The cross burning on somebody's lawn. Why don't we just have a Nike celebration of the cross — those symbols are symbols of hate."

Earlier in the segment, Dyson said the 13-star American flag was offensive because its association with George Washington and Thomas Jefferson who were both slave owners.

Michael Eric Dyson, Nike Betsy Ross flag shoes. (AP)

Nike pulled shoes which had the Betsy Ross American flag on them, claiming that former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick had complained that it was an offensive symbol.

Republican Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey responded by saying he was pulling tax incentives for Nike to move to the state.

"It is a shameful retreat for the company. American businesses should be proud of our country’s history, not abandoning it," the Republican governor said Tuesday on Twitter. "Nike has made its decision, and now we’re making ours. I’ve ordered the Arizona Commerce Authority to withdraw all financial incentive dollars under their discretion that the State was providing for the company to locate here."

