American sportswear brand Nike hasn’t been faring well as of late, especially when it comes to the football kit department.
The brand’s World Cup range has been thoroughly outdone by rivals Adidas, and their releases continue to catch flak online.
Amidst all the criticism, they also managed to aggravate USMNT fans, with whom they share national and geographical links.
The fans’ anger isn’t unjustified of course, and it all stemmed from Nike’s uninspired attempts at creating the kits that the team will sport in Qatar.
The designs are incredibly bland, and will likely fade from memory relatively quickly.
What vexed the Americans even further were the kits Nike crafted for historical rivals England, which are significantly better and even more creative.
The online outrage since then has been constant, as the mere mention of Nike’s World Cup kits can spark a rant from an American fan.
With no means of rectifying the situation, Nike would certainly be hoping for matters to boil over, although those hopes seem far-fetched.
A further dent came in the form of the recently unveiled Fall kits for the US Women’s Team, which were already average as they’re exactly like their male counterparts, but Nike have seemingly made it even worse.
Continuing their hot streak of butchering designs, Nike has ruined an already bland look through some truly absurd placement, and it all has to do with the USWNT’s 2019 World Cup triumph.
The Stars and Stripes lifted the prestigious title in France, and earned the title ‘ World Champions’.
And as such, they get to parade around with a Golden badge on their kits which confirms their status.
Instead of being a welcome edition, the fall kits make it seem like an absolute eyesore.
Nike made the shift to vertically placed logos this year, and it clearly shows that the Women’s kits received no consideration while making the decision.
FIFA regulations detail specific placement spots, something the brand was undoubtedly aware of.
Placed right alongside the centred national crest, the badge is extremely off-putting, and fans online felt the same way.
There are acres of empty space throughout the base, yet the two badges laced together result in a cramped mess of a design.
Fans will hopefully find some solace in the fact that the kit will be dumped after 4 months, and most importantly, it won’t see the Australian sun when the World Cup returns in 2023.