A Chicago T-shirt company has decided to pull a controversial Blackhawks shirt that was a take on the "Boston Strong" motto that popped up following April's Boston Marathon bombings.
Cubby Tees produced a T-shirt with a Blackhawks logo and the word "Stronger" in preparation for the Stanley Cup Finals matchup between the city's two hockey teams.
But after a good deal of social media outrage and negative emails, the company decided to stop selling the Chicago Stronger shirts "in the interest of harmony between two great cities," and posted a lengthy statement on its web site that stopped short of an apology for the T-shirt's message itself.
Cubby Tees says the shirt was not meant to "trivialize" the marathon tragedy, but to mock Boston sports fans who co-opted the "Boston Strong" term for their sports teams.
It really seemed to jump the shark with the unbelievable proliferation of (non-fundraising) merchandising and the use of 'Boston Strong' by many to aggrandize themselves, or as a war-cry against a non-existent threat and as an anthem for the mindless societal diversion that is professional sports." -- Cubby Tees Statement
Whoever started #ChicagoStronger deserves a slap in the face. #BostonStrong isn't for a team, it's for the city thats overcome a lot this yr
— Sher Seward (@NinjaSherBear) June 14, 2013
The company also says the people who complained about the shirt didn't take the time to read the description that went along with it, which explains their philosophy behind its creation.
Photo Credit: Cubby Tees