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Under Armour makes a bad decision

Halldan1

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Jan 1, 2003
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article-iwojima-0517.jpg


The shirt, which depicts four shadow figures putting up a basketball hoop in nearly identical poses to the iconic photo of soldiers planting the American flag at the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II, was quickly taken down from Under Armour's website after many shared their disapproval with the company.

Under Armour, for its part, tweeted a full apology and promises to avoid future controversy.

Here's what the sporting goods giant tweeted in response to the outcry:

Under Armour @UnderArmour

Under Armour has the utmost respect and admiration for active duty service men and women and veterans who have served our country. (1/3)

Under Armour @UnderArmour

We deeply regret and apologize the release of a shirt that is not reflective of our commitment to support & honor our country's heroes (2/3)

Under Armour @UnderArmour
We have taken the necessary steps to remove this shirt, and any related shirts, from all retail and ensure this doesn't happen again. (3/3)
 
Total fools. They ought to just stick with dressing Oregon or Oregon State whomever they put in yellow and lime green. They're idiots.
 
I can't believe someone actually thought this was a good idea...and worse; someone or several people at UA approved it!!! What's next, a caricature of MLK staring at the NBA Championship trophy saying "I have a dream"?
 
Don't give the NBA any bright ideas. They already think MLK Day is the time to play Monday afternoon games.
 
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article-iwojima-0517.jpg


The shirt, which depicts four shadow figures putting up a basketball hoop in nearly identical poses to the iconic photo of soldiers planting the American flag at the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II, was quickly taken down from Under Armour's website after many shared their disapproval with the company.

Under Armour, for its part, tweeted a full apology and promises to avoid future controversy.

Here's what the sporting goods giant tweeted in response to the outcry:

Under Armour @UnderArmour

Under Armour has the utmost respect and admiration for active duty service men and women and veterans who have served our country. (1/3)

Under Armour @UnderArmour

We deeply regret and apologize the release of a shirt that is not reflective of our commitment to support & honor our country's heroes (2/3)

Under Armour @UnderArmour
We have taken the necessary steps to remove this shirt, and any related shirts, from all retail and ensure this doesn't happen again. (3/3)

This was probably created by a young designer who thought he was being cool. And obviously made a mistake. It happens.

35 years ago I worked on a Canadian Beer advertising account and we presented a radio campaign which used " Oh Canada" as the campaign theme. Client was not pleased. We had denigrated his national anthem. What were we thinking?
 
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they probably thought it was a cool tribute or a metaphor that basketball is the only thing to live for...


i guess im young but i find this more dumb than disrespectful. people re edit old images all the time. dont think my comment will go over well.
 
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I agree. I see the sensitivity, but I don't get the outrage. I don't see disrespect here just another misplaced attempt to tie war/soldier imagery and sports together.
 
I guess you should ask someone who fought in WWII what they think.
 
but of course the outrage started from people who didnt, and most likely didnt even ask.
 
The iconic image of raising the American flag at Iwo Jima symbolizes hope and pride in the midst of a horrific battle. None of the flag raisers in the famous photo left the Island unscathed. Some died while others carried emotional scars for the rest of their lives. I suggest reading the book Flags of Our Fathers to get a true and emotional perspective of the famous photo and what it meant to our veterans.
 
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The problem is that the image minimizes the original event, and it does, but it's like so many other historical events whose impact fades as they recede further and further into history. I don't think UA created this shirt with intwntional disrespect for those WWII vets. On the contrary, it's a nod to their bravery and dedication, though the attempt to apply it to basketball is clumsy. But the (probably) 26-year-old graphic designer has very little first-hand emotional connection to the photo, which feels like ancient history to him, and so it did feel out of bounds to appropriate it this way.
 
The problem is that the image minimizes the original event, and it does, but it's like so many other historical events whose impact fades as they recede further and further into history. I don't think UA created this shirt with intwntional disrespect for those WWII vets. On the contrary, it's a nod to their bravery and dedication, though the attempt to apply it to basketball is clumsy. But the (probably) 26-year-old graphic designer has very little first-hand emotional connection to the photo, which feels like ancient history to him, and so it did feel out of bounds to appropriate it this way.
The only problem with that is that UA is not a garage tee shirt company. A 26 year old may have designed it and be tone deaf about history, but what about his boss and everyone that signed off on approving it for sale??
 
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Sounds as if some young idea man googled historical photos and the research department failed with their due diligence.
 
Totally fair point, Hall85, and I don't disagree. Perhaps UA gives their design group that much latitude in bringing designs to market? I don't know enough about their process to say, but it does show some kind of systemic breakdown.
 
I do understand this is such an iconic image, but where is the outrage at all of the other attempts to analogize sports to war and the positive attributes we assign to our soldiers (bravery, valor, etc.)? Maybe this one went too far. I don't think so, but I can somewhat see the point.
 
I do understand this is such an iconic image, but where is the outrage at all of the other attempts to analogize sports to war and the positive attributes we assign to our soldiers (bravery, valor, etc.)?
Agreed, and it is a hole other issue. Football is particularly guilt of this, where competition is equated with war, and the field is a "battlefield." So stupid...
 
I do understand this is such an iconic image, but where is the outrage at all of the other attempts to analogize sports to war and the positive attributes we assign to our soldiers (bravery, valor, etc.)? Maybe this one went too far. I don't think so, but I can somewhat see the point.

That photograph / image is sacred to the Marine Corp. Also, a monument of the scene is displayed in Arlington National Cemetery, which is viewed by hundreds of thousands of Americans each year. The flag raising also received recent renewed publicity and spurred feelings of national pride in the best selling book and popular movie Flags of Our Father. In the minds of many Americans, Veterans and their families, the Under Armour image trivializes the valor of the men who sacrificed their lives. It was an innocent mistake by Under Amour which should have researched the emotional attachment many feel to the image. Not such a big deal once the Company decided to do away with the campaign.
 
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I do understand this is such an iconic image, but where is the outrage at all of the other attempts to analogize sports to war and the positive attributes we assign to our soldiers (bravery, valor, etc.)? Maybe this one went too far. I don't think so, but I can somewhat see the point.
100% agree with this comment.
 
That photograph / image is sacred to the Marine Corp. Also, a monument of the scene is displayed in Arlington National Cemetery, which is viewed by hundreds of thousands of Americans each year. The flag raising also received recent renewed publicity and spurred feelings of national pride in the best selling book and popular movie Flags of Our Father. In the minds of many Americans, Veterans and their families, the Under Armour image trivializes the valor of the men who sacrificed their lives. It was an innocent mistake by Under Amour which should have researched the emotional attachment many feel to the image. Not such a big deal once the Company decided to do away with the campaign.

Agreed. Coming from a Marine who has a picture of the flag raising on his desk. It was dumb and they corrected it.
 
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