Nike Pulls T-Shirts With Blood-Splattered 'Boston Massacre' Reference
Nike is working to pull all of the t-shirts bearing the blood-splattered phrase "Boston Massacre" from its stores after last week's bombings at the Boston Marathon. The company in no way meant disrespect to the victims and explained that the phrase referred to a rivalry between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox.
"The shirts being referenced are older baseball shirts that were predominantly being sold through our Factory Stores Outlets," a Nike representative said in an email to the Huffington Post. "In light of the tragedy in Boston we took immediate action last week to remove this product from distribution. We conducted this process as quickly as possible and are confident the product has been removed from distribution."
The shirts refer to two series between the Yankees and Sox in which the Yankees dominated the series and shutout the Sox. Those games took place in 1978 and 2006 and quickly became known as the "Boston Massacre" by baseball fans.
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Eric Stangel, producer for the "Late Show with David Letterman" was one of the first to report and tweet about the shirt being sold post-bombings, according to reports.
"Saw this @ Nike Outlet. Told them they shouldn't be selling it. They said, 'We've been taking them down,'" Stangel tweeted, along with a photo of the shirt.
"Not again Nike!?! Seems Nike are jinxed! Nike to stop selling 'Boston Massacre' T-shirt," tweeted Kara W, who was likely referencing the ill-timed release of an ad featuring Oscar Pistorius.
"I am the bullet in the chamber," the ad said alongside a picture of Pistorius. The Olympic sprinter was charged with the murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, who was shot to death in Pistorius' home in South Africa.
While many applaud Nike for taking the t-shirt off the shelves, there are others who don't see the need.
"Thanks for being PC about the tragedy in Boston, but no need to pull a product just because something bad happens. What about the term 'Murderers Row?' Has nothing to do with 1920's gangsters, but it still took hold during the worst of times," Huffington Post user whiterabbitno12 posted.
The Business Insider suggested that the shirts "have become instant collector's items."
