IndyCar removes Freedom 250 T-shirt after backlash over slogan
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · May 7
IndyCar removes Freedom 250 T-shirt after backlash over slogan
11 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 7
The $50 shirt, showing helmeted Abraham Lincoln and the words “One Nation, One Race”, was pulled within hours on Wednesday from IndyCar’s online store.
Critics, including Jalopnik writer Ryan Erik King, said the messaging was insensitive and open to racist interpretation; IndyCar said customer feedback prompted it to remedy the situation.
The officially licensed shirt promoted the Aug. 23 Freedom 250 around Washington’s National Mall, part of US 250th-birthday celebrations announced after President Donald Trump authorised the race.
Is this controversial t-shirt a symptom of deeper quality control problems in the entire sports merchandise industry?
When AI designs merchandise, who is responsible for catching culturally insensitive mistakes before they are sold?
How can brands use national symbols for profit without accidentally promoting controversial historic ideologies?