On Friday, adidas decided to pull a controversial T-shirt that used the story of Louisville guard Kevin Ware's shattered leg to promote its latest marketing slogan – a particularly loathsome move even for the shoe industry and college sports.
The shirt featured adidas' new mantra, “Rise To the Occasion.” Only the “s” in “Rise” is shaped like a Louisville No. 5, the same number worn by Ware, who broke his leg in last Sunday's Midwest Region final. The number is also on the back of the shirt. You could buy one for $24.99.
Louisville acknowledged the “5” stood for Ware, which put the NCAA in violation of its own bizarre rules and opened itself up to potential legal action. So it's likely that legal liability – not found conscience – is what stopped sales of the T-shirt. USA Today first reported the decision to halt sales.
The fact that it took days to occur and no one at either Louisville or the NCAA was able or willing to halt the campaign immediately remains the story, though.
Walter Cornett, of Glendale, Kentucky, is the owner and operator of Walter's Wildcat World. He founded WildcatWorld.com in 1998 making it one of the oldest Kentucky basketball fan sites in operation today.
