http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/12/06/olympic-outsourcing-team-usa-snowboarders-uniforms-foreign-made/
I am sure you all can still remember the 2012 London Summer Olympics. Michael Phelps becoming the most decorated Olympian of all time, Gabby Douglas becoming the first African American to win the Gold in the All-around Girls Gymnastics, Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings taking the Gold in woman's Beach volleyball and so much more. So, for anyone who watched the games I am sure you will remember the all the big headlines about the how the USA uniforms were not made in America. Well, it happened again. Burton a very big snowboard company partnered with the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Association to create uniforms for the U.S. Snowboarding team, but the uniforms were not Made In America. The uniforms were actually made all over the world. The uniforms went too Japan, Italy, Taiwan, Vietnam, China. Burton defends the decision by saying that they sent the uniforms to the best vendors around the world.
"The Sochi Games will mark the third Winter Olympics where Burton partnered with the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Association to create uniforms for the U.S. Snowboarding team. The primary focus of this year’s design, according to company materials, was “technical performance” above all.
“As such, every piece of the uniform has to perform at the highest level and keep the athletes warm and dry in the unpredictable weather conditions that could come in Sochi,” Burton’s statement continued."
When I heard about the 2012 Summer Olympic uniforms being not being made in the US, I personally thought it was stupid. I believed that the Olympic uniforms should be made in the US. But, after reading this article it made me think about it more. Burton talks about the "technical performance being the above all primary focus, because the boarders need to stay warm and dry. This makes total sense to me because being a skier myself I want to stay warm and dry, and as Burton says in the article this is the Olympic games the most important of their careers, they deserve the best, which I do completely agree with. I think what got me about the summer Olympics is that well those uniforms don't require as much technical performance as the winter uniforms. I am all for clothes being made in America, especially the Olympic uniforms, but if we truly do not have the resources then I understand. I agree with Burton's decision on the winter uniforms and I think they make up for it considering the majority of the snowboards the Burton athletes will be using were handmade in Burlington, Vermont at Burton Headquarters.
I personally find it hard to believe that we as Americans do not have the capability to produce a uniform of the same quality. I think American teams should have uniforms made in America. Call me a nationalist, but something about that frustrates me. Honestly, I think Burton did themselves a disservice by producing the uniforms overseas. Made in America is a great marketing ploy, and I believe that many people, upon finding out the production location, would support Burton with their business.
ReplyDeleteI personally don't see any major issues with uniforms being made outside of the country, especially if performance is the top concern for the athletes. Also, the olympics are supposed to represent unity and coexistence between countries around the world. I'm sure other countries do the exact same things, and there may even be countries that get things from the United States. You shouldn't want to keep everything American because in today's world, so few of our products are actually made here. This is just another one of those cases that should not be blown out of proportion.
ReplyDeleteThis is ridiculous. The Olympics are a time that comes only so often, and gives countries around the world a chance to prove their athleticism and dominance over others. To have the Murican' uniforms made in a foreign country is embarrassing. How can we prove to be the best, when we are wearing clothes from another country. Are you telling me that no textile company in this great nation would be willing to make uniforms and support the Murican' Olympic team. We should be representing, you know, Apollo Creed shorts and ish. Am I right guys?
ReplyDeleteI feel like the reason for the clothes not being made in America isn't due to the fact of America's inability to make quality items, but instead because it isn't glamorous enough for some people to work in a manufacturing jobs. Lets face it, when we think of cool jobs to have, a factory worker doesn't come to mind. American manufacturing has taken a huge hit from unions because companies simply cannot pay workers as much as the unions are requesting. So in turn American companies ship their manufacturing plants to countries like those mentioned where people will happily work for far less than minimum wage. Although I dislike that the products were made out of America, no one can blame the businesses for their intelligent economic play.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is upsetting that the uniforms were made elsewhere in the world. However, I find that upsetting because it was done elsewhere because the best outfitters are in other parts of the world. That is what is really disappointing to me.
ReplyDeleteI think that the uniforms should be american made. American is cheap with getting all our other good made else where for cheaper labor. We should at least make our own uniforms and pay a little more if its to represent our country. I think that this is almost embarrassing to our country, especially since this info is made public and they should be ashamed.
ReplyDeleteAgreed Will. Let me also just throw out that THEY HAVE FOUR YEARS IN BETWEEN GAMES. Are you telling me we are so unwilling/incapable/incompetent/uncaring that no American company (or even Burton) would make the high tech suits here in the States? Especially with such a large Government contract dangling in front of them.
ReplyDeleteAmerica: "Guys, guys, guys. We're the best at USING the suits, no one said anything about MAKING them too."
I understand where Lem is coming from in saying that the Olympics are a time to unify countries, but at the same time, all of these countries are in competition with each other. It almost seems kind of lame to me, that we can't even make our own uniforms for a series of events that solely represents and distinguishes our country. I tend to agree with making the majority of our products in other countries, but for this specific event, I believe uniforms made in America would be best. Especially as David said, from a marketing stand point to consumers.
ReplyDeleteThe Olympic's society should come up with some type of rule that requires each country to only use equipment made in their own country. Quite honestly, seeing that our uniforms were made in several different parts of the world take away pride of our own country competing.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ben. I understand that you guys want uniforms to be made in America but many people today don't want to work at factories. They want to move up and be cool. Plus, we pay less for workers in foreign countries like China and Vietnam. There are people in Vietnam who work at factories and only getting $300 or so a month.
ReplyDeleteI don't have any problems with their uniforms being made in another country. If the best quality uniforms come from somewhere else, then the US should step up it's technology instead of complaining. I want our athletes to have the best quality equipment.
ReplyDeleteI firmly believe that this article was only written to incite some sort of strong response from the more patriotic among us. Burton was obviously making smart economic choices when outsourcing the production of their product, otherwise they would have had it made in the United States. I don't see any reason why the product just had to have been made in America, especially if the quality of said product would be at risk. The athletes still represent nobody but the United States, no matter where there gear was assembled. In my opinion, this kind of sentimental patriotism is illogical and ignores the fact that Burton was doing the best thing for their company.
ReplyDelete