Under Armour, the trendy sports clothing manufacturer who claims that its mission is to “make all athletes better through passion, design, and the relentless pursuit of innovation,” ignited an indignant passion that it didn’t expect through its release of a T-shirt which they labeled “Band of Ballers.”
Does that image look familiar?
Yep, those relentlessly innovative Under Armour designers made a T-shirt that equated the actions of basketball players to the Marines hoisting the flag on Mount Suribachi after the incredibly bloody Iwo Jima campaign of 1945.
Many Americans were angry, and rightly so.
I'm waiting for @UnderArmour's "Band of Looters" tee shirt to come out next. pic.twitter.com/TQgzmK5tKB
— Bob Owens (@bob_owens) May 16, 2015
And this from someone whose uncle fought on Iwo Jima and was wounded:
https://twitter.com/ralphprovance/status/599588558517706752
Under Armour felt the burn and decided to pull the T-shirts, issuing this statement on their Facebook page:
Under Armour has the utmost respect and admiration for the men and women on active duty and veterans who have served our country. As such, we deeply regret and apologize that a t-shirt that was not reflective of our values in honoring and supporting our country’s heroes went on sale. We have taken immediate action to remove it from retail and will take great measures to ensure this does not happen again. Supporting those who serve our country has been part of our brand’s DNA since the very beginning, and through our partnerships and by working directly with military organizations, it will always serve as the foundation of our efforts to give back.
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