Northwestern University's attempt to pay tribute to the Wounded Warriors veterans charity this week with the debut of a new, seemingly blood-spattered uniform backfired as Twitter users and reviewers slammed the new outfits as "gore porn."
The school unveiled the Under Armour-designed, American flag-patterned uniforms Monday and announced that players will wear them during the Nov. 16 game against Michigan. The jerseys will then be auctioned off, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to the Wounded Warriors foundation for injured vets. Ten percent of online sales will also go to the organization.
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So what's the problem? The whole ensemble — from the jersey and the helmet to the gloves and the cleats — looks like it's been splattered with blood.
"Isn't 'flag covered in blood' a little on-the-nose for something honoring a group that
operates programs for injured veterans?" wrote Tom Socca for Deadspin.
"If it was just the use of the flag motif I would be giving it a big, 'Meh.' But when you add in the blood-splatters 'artistically scattered' across the uniform as though it was the football player who had been shot, mortared, rocketed, or hit with an IED, that takes it from being merely crass to
being outright Not. Cool. At. All," Robert Bateman at Esquire wrote.
Northwestern spokesman Paul Kennedy said Monday that the uniforms feature a "distressed pattern on both the stars and stripes that was inspired by the appearance of a flag that has flown proudly over a long period of time" and apologized "for any misinterpretation."
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