Clothing company Under Armour has apologized for a T-shirt design that was deemed offensive to members of the military.
On Friday, the company faced pushback after complaints about a new men’s T-shirt flooded its Facebook page. The unfortunately named “Band of Ballers” shirt depicts what appear to be four men collectively holding up a basketball net. It bears a striking resemblance to a well-known image of soldiers raising a flag at Iwo Jima. People weren’t amused.
.@UnderArmour On behalf of my US Military brothers and sisters, reducing Iwo Jima to b-ball moment is UNACCEPTABLE.pic.twitter.com/hDbxnwwUG3
— Venator (@MaxVenator) May 16, 2015
https://twitter.com/Alexandre10203/status/599427600092639232
The company issued an apology Saturday morning, via Twitter and Facebook:
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) May 16, 2015
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) May 16, 2015
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)
— Under Armour (@UnderArmour) May 16, 2015
The shirt has apparently since been removed from the Under Armour site and Amazon, though it says it’s “sold out” on the UA site.
H/T Washington Post | Photo via oatsy40/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)