Nike has been praised for dropping some heavy hitter kicks this year, but their latest release may have hit a bit too heavy.
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This past Saturday, Nike released their seasonal new kick, the SB Black and Tan Quickstrike, just in time for St. Patrick’s Day. Immediately critics slammed Nike for naming the shoe after a British paramilitary force that was known for their brutal attacks on Irish civilians in the 1920s.
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Officials claim that the shoe is named after the Irish themed Black and Tan beverage made by mixing stout and lager (pale ale), usually Guinness and Harp or Bass, in a pint glass, but critics lambasted Nike for their huge insensitivity towards the Irish people and their history.
“It would be the American equivalent of calling a sneaker the al-Qaeda… is there no one at Nike able to Google Black and Tan?” said President of the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform Ciaran Staunton.
Nike has yet to comment and there is no word on whether the sneaker’s name will eventually be changed.
Take a look at the sneaker in the accompanying gallery.
