Nike Is Under Fire Because Of Their New Nike SB Dunk Low “Black and Tan” Sneakers

8:35 PM in Basket Ball

The Nike SB Dunk Low that you see here has been tabbed the “Black and Tan” by a number of different blogs and websites. That’s mostly due to the color of the Dunk SBs as well as the fact that these are being released right around St. Patrick’s Day. “Black and tan” often refers to a pale ale, such as Guinness, and there will be plenty of Guinness consumed this weekend. So, people started calling this Dunk SB the “Black and Tan” because of that and it stuck.
Unfortunately, Nike has come under fire as a result of this name. Although they claim that they did not officially call it the “Black and Tan,” there was a huge faux pas that was committed when someone out there decided to call it that. Back in the 1920s, there was a British paramilitary group that was also called “Black and Tan” that used to attack Irish civilians. As a result, references to “Black and Tan” are obviously seen as something negative by those in the Irish population. So Nike is being blamed for promoting something that is quite horrific, despite the fact that they had no intention to do it.
Like we said, Nike has denied ever calling these “Black and Tans” in the first place. But they have still issued an apology for the name that people were using for the sneaker. And, it brings up an interesting question: Should Nike be more proactive about naming their sneakers and/or shooting down names that could possibly be offensive? In the past, this issue hasn’t come up a lot. But as Nike continues to develop new colorways practically every other week, sneakerheads are being left to give them nicknames. And there’s a good chance that some of those nicknames might not be nicknames that Nike wants associated with their brand.
Does it seem silly to even think about this? Maybe. Maybe Nike should just issue their apology and keep it moving. But it’ll be interesting to see if they take a different approach when it comes to naming their sneakers in the future. Otherwise, they could risk this same exact thing happening again. So, let’s hope they learn from the “Black and Tan” and don’t make the same mistake again.