Outrage over T-shirt that compares basketball to Iwo Jima
Under Armor pulls 'Band of Ballers' shirt, apologizes to veterans after social media firestorm
Under Armour said Saturday that it has stopped selling its “Band of Ballers” T-shirt after facing criticism on social media for the design’s comparisons to the famous flag-raising at the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II.
The Under Armour shirt showed the silhouette of several men raising a basketball hoop in the same manner.
“I like a lot of Under Armour apparel, but whoever designed this T-shirt needs to be fired,” wrote one Twitter user.
The company took to Twitter Saturday to announce that it is removing the shirt and any related shirts.
“Under Armour has the utmost respect and admiration for active duty service men and women and veterans who have served our country,” the company said. “We deeply regret and apologize the release of a shirt that is not reflective of our commitment to support & honor our country's heroes.”
A company spokeswoman didn’t respond to questions from The Wall Street Journal regarding how many of the shirts had been sold.
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