I was relaxing late Wednesday night when my son-in-law sent me this intriguing text message:

“Hey Kim. I saw something I thought you and Bruce (my husband) would find interesting,” he wrote. And then he sent me a picture of something that looked very familiar.

It looked a lot like the Naval Academy logo, which is an image familiar to us, since our son-in-law is a proud graduate of USNA.

However, it wasn’t really the USNA logo. Instead, it was a blatant ripoff that Nike used to promote a new line of soccer sportswear.

Here’s the image that Nike proudly posted at Twitter for their collaborative effort between Nike and “UNDEFEATED,” an LA-based sneaker boutique.

Nike x UNDEFEATED Present "The Fives" – 6.16.18 pic.twitter.com/DCHyW4ufOI

— UNDEFEATED (@UNDEFEATEDinc) June 11, 2018

And here’s the logo for the US Naval Academy. The Academy has been around since 1845, and the current logo was first used in 1902. And in case you’re wondering, USNA has an active trademark on it, too.

Here, through a little gif magic, you can see how the two logos overlap:

I’d say that’s a bit too close, wouldn’t you?

Needless to say, controversy quickly erupted in Annapolis, MD, home of the Naval Academy.

And then social media chimed in. Academy graduates were especially angry:

“Wow it’s like that #Nike. Just going to blatantly steal my school’s seal. The lack of effort on this one is just laughable. I knew there was a reason I liked @UnderArmour better.”

Others accused Nike of Stolen Valor:

Stolen valor pic.twitter.com/9bdoYqv7Rc

— Kevin S Whisman (@TKORuns) June 12, 2018

But that wasn’t all. Another Twitter user discovered that the motto on the UNDEFEATED logo matched that of the US Air Force Academy class of 2017:

And the motto matches the Air Force Academy class of 2017. “Respect All. Fear None.” Did Nike’s Creative team just Google “Service Academy Insignia and Mottos?”

There are not enough facepalms for this, are there?

Now as of this writing, it’s reported that the UNDEFEATED website was ‘down for maintenance’ on Tuesday, and on Wednesday the line of clothing was no longer for sale. Moreover, online customers reported on Twitter that their orders were cancelled.

Yeah, that Naval Academy logo is cool. Its motto means From Knowledge, Seapower. But you have to earn the right to mark it as your own, and it’s tough to earn, too.

As of 2016, the acceptance rate at USNA was 8.5%, making it one of the nation’s most selective schools. To even be considered, you have to receive a nomination from an official source, such as a member of the US House or a Senator. You also have to undergo a medical exam and a fitness assessment. And you have to complete a final interview, too. That’s on top of your grade transcripts and SAT scores, which had better be very high.

And then, once in, you have to maintain not only academics, but things like honor codes, physical fitness, and military performance. Needless to say, that’s a lot more than the average liberal arts student needs to graduate.

You can see why USNA alumni are angry at Nike.

So I would also recommend that Nike sack the idiot or idiots in their creative department who thought they could rip off the logo of this cherished American tradition and use it as their own. How on God’s green earth they thought they could get away without anyone noticing is beyond me.