The U.S. women’s soccer aggregation wore Nike T-shirts with a smug, broken-down byword account “Greatness Has Been Found” afterwards its gold-medal win over Japan on Thursday. The shirts were about panned on Twitter, from critics both adopted and domestic.
[ Photos: U.S. women’s soccer aggregation takes gold ]
Members of the aggregation were handed the shirts anon afterwards their win. This is a ritual accepted afterwards big victories in American aggregation sports. Afterwards the Super Bowl or NCAA basketball appellation game, for instance, acceptable teams anon put on shirts and hats that affirm them champions.
If it’s anytime happened at an Olympics, I can’t remember. Throw in the phrase “greatness has been found” — which would be abominable abundant on a aggregation adulatory an SEC championship — and the accomplished affair feels absolutely out of place.
Ben Rothenberg of the New York Times tweeted, “‘Greatness has been found,’ but not humility. Gross.”
SI.com’s Courtney Nguyen agreed. “Put those t-shirts away, USA,” she tweeted. “Keep it classy.”
No one is blaming the women on the team. They were handed shirts and put them on, as expected. And I don’t accusation Nike either: Every 13-year-old babe who’s anytime best up a soccer brawl is allurement for one appropriate now. The bodies at accountability are the go-betweens for Nike and Aggregation USA. They should accept accomplished the way those shirts could accept been perceived.
[ Related: Fresh Take – Carli Lloyd leads U.S. women accomplished Japan ]
Wearing a alone shirt at an Olympics that seems to rub the accident in the face of defeated opponents plays into the average of animal Americanism. If bodies who were acclaim for the women’s soccer aggregation begin them off-putting, brainstorm the acknowledgment of the blow of the world.
I’m all for assuming off the abundance of the United States and our antic teams. At an Olympics, there’s an accessible way to do it: Stand on top of the belvedere while “The Star-Spangled Banner” plays. It gets the job done bigger than any business gimmick could.
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