Monday, April 21, 2008

Chicago Cubs Stop Selling of Unlisenced Offensive Fukudome Shirt

The t-shirt pictured to the left has been the basis of controversy in Wrigleyville and the blogosphere this week. It is one of several unlisenced shirts sold outside of Wrigley Field designed to cash in on Fukudome-Mania and deprive drunken fans of their money. You can find some interesting unofficial merchandise outside of the stadium. Many people apparently found this shirt to be hilarious because the vendor who sold it said it was a top seller. Many others had the opposite reaction and found it to be offensive and racist.

It basically plays on the old stereotype of the funny talking Asian and slaps a Harry Carey reference on top of a slant eyed Cubs logo. The t-shirt doesn't reference Fukudome but he was certainly an inspiration for the shirt. Not that we ever hear him speak English but if he did, some fans may presume this is how he would speak.

A story that appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times launched a storm of complaints about the offensive Fukudome t-shirt and within the day of it's publication the Chicago Cubs were outside the stadium telling the vendors to remove the unlisenced shirt and presumably threatening legal action for trademark violation.

I'm not sure what you think of this shirt (leave a comment if you like) but lets see what our hero Kosuke Fukudome thinks about the controversial t-shirt:

''I don't know what the creator of the shirt meant this to be, but they should make it right. Maybe the creator created it because he thought it was funny, or maybe he made it to condescend the race. I don't know. I knew I was coming to a different country, so I expected something like this. Maybe not necessarily racial, but that anybody could take any context of my words and degrade me if they wanted to. But if I make a big deal out of it, it's not going to benefit me, so I'm not going to make a big deal of it.'''

Doesn't exactly sound like an endorsement. More like he's not not offended.

Mr. Fukudome, I would like to apologize on behalf of Chicago Cubs fans. Some of the drunken suburbanites who come to Wrigley know not what they do.




Related:

Words Cannot Describe It - from Chicago Tribune

Fukudome Doesn't Find Racist T-shirts in Wriglyville Funny - Chicago Sun Times

Cubs Remedy T-Shirt Scandal - Sports Frog

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