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Bababoosky

Gang Colors on NYY hats?

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What the hell is wrong with companies today? Knowingly selling hats with gang insignia's?!?!

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NEW YORK — Official Major League Baseball caps blatantly featuring colors and symbols for some of America's deadliest street gangs are turning up on store shelves in Harlem, MyFOXNY.com reported Friday.

Outraged local activists charge that New Era, the caps' manufacturer, and the New York Yankees — whose famous interlocking NY cap features a choice of a red and black bandanna design for the Bloods, blue and gray for the Crips and a gold crown for the Latin Kings — and Major League Baseball are deliberately marketing to gang members and wannabes.

Click here to watch report from MyFOXNY.com.

"Companies involved should not profit from the promotion of gang affiliation, which leads only to gang violence," the activists, who call themselves the Coalition to Protect Our Children, said in a statement. The coalition is concerned that unsuspecting kids could buy one of the hats, wear it in the wrong turf and then be targeted for attack.

The group marched Thursday in East Harlem to try to pressure local shops into pulling the caps from their shelves. One store operator agreed to do so, MyFOXNY.com reported.

Meanwhile, an MLB official claimed the league was not aware that the designs were gang-related.

"Major League Baseball … is very concerned about the issue," said Silvia Alvarez, the league's director of multicultural and charitable communications, in a statement. She indicated that MLB would encourage and support the pulling of these caps from stores.

The Coalition to Protect our Children said the group would continue its efforts to stop the sale of caps with gang colors and symbols and plans to hold gang-awareness workshops for families in the community.

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wow, wait what is the point of a gang anyway??? to see who has more friends???

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$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

that's all I have to say

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George Steinbrenner must be more out of it than I thought. Someone at the Yankees organization must have okayed this. I'd be curious to know if this stuff truly is New Era or is bootleg--anyone with a sewing machine and a box of labels can sew in the tag on the cap.

That said, the only people I know who wore gang colors in such a flashy way in the last few years were junior high or high school kids who were "wannabes" or other, younger, children who chose gang colors because they felt safer in their neighborhoods by wearing the "official" color. Sometimes the color was only on the shoelaces. Also, a lot of gang members simply choose gang colors that are already something mainstream--i.e., UNC basketball items for some hispanic gangs.

The preferred clothing items for committing crimes (dealing, etc.) a lot of times is blue jeans and a plain white T-shirt or dark hoodie--so nondescript as to blend in most anywhere.

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wow, wait what is the point of a gang anyway??? to see who has more friends???

I know you're young, but I'm hoping this is a joke. If you're serous, google these gangs and my personal favorite ms-13.

Guidance1 pretty much nailed it. I could see a few posers catching beating from wearing these hats, but thats about it.

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This concept is crap!! Once again someone's bad idea trying to make a buck or two. This type of merchandise will only send the wrong message to young kids who are baseball fans giving stupid publicity to gang membership. It is very possible someone could get hurt or maybe worse who is not in a gang but is just wearing the hat because they think it looks cool and some gang member takes offense to it.

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It's not Steinbrenner's or the organization's corporate office fault with this. It is the Licensing Agreement that is signed between New Era and the New York Yankees organization. An official licensing agreement allows an apparel company to use the logo of a sports team, ect. and in return the company, in this case New Era, uses the logo on its products and a cut of the profits return back to the organization.

Furthermore, the NYY logo, the name New York Yankees, the navy blue cap with the white NYY logo and also the pinstripes are copyrighted and property of the Yankees organization. When a licensing agreement is also signed, in this case the Yankees also allow a company to design the other style hats and really the Yankees don't have a say, they should though!

When these agreements are entered into with apparel companies, the organizations should have total control over what there logo and trademarks area used on before being sold to the public. Another case of making a product and trying to make money off a good name.

But also, did they also make bandanna like caps in yellow, black, green or any other color in the rainbow also?

Marketers really have to think about what products they put out and how they area perceived.

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I could see a few posers catching beating from wearing these hats, but thats about it.

And unfortunately at some level, it's all about that first "beating"/"blessing", isn't it.

Alrighty then.... I revise and extend my remarks.

The internet is sooo much fun. You can find out lots of stuff. How about this:

New Era is headquartered in Buffalo, where the Mayor and Superintendent of schools said in a press release last September that they were going to be "Banning Solid Red and Blue Tee Shirts and Bandanas – Blue and red are the colors of the two major gangs in Buffalo, the Bloods and the Crips. Students in grades 5 – 12 will be prohibited from wearing solid red or blue shirts and bandannas that identify them as gang members." So these were not bootleg--of course with all of the backtracking now by the Yankees and MLB and New Era.

To wit: "It has been brought to our attention that some combinations of icons and colors on a select number of our caps could be too closely perceived to be in association with gangs," said Christopher H. Koch, CEO of New Era Cap. "In response, we, along with Major League Baseball, have pulled those caps."

Could be???? Oh give me a break.

Let's have some fun. I looked at the New Era website for caps--and basically the company makes Butt-Ugly products that make the Astros uniforms of the 70's look like a Brooks Brothers three-button suit.

Oh Babe Ruth is spinning in his grave this year.

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i no gunna lie i have wunna those hats but they should take those off the steets

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Just heard the hats were pulled from the shelves.

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This is just another sure fire way for someone to get shot. some people are not so smart, and probably wouldn't realize the meaning behind these hats.

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Don't know about most of you..but I've been on the streets long enough to know what is what. Even if I did find it stylish I wouldn't wear it. Anyone who generally will knows what the deal is already if you don't then you got issues.

I have no problem if someone wants to make money off of it. Do you think they aren't wearing their colors already? That not having these hats out there make any friggin difference whatsoever.

Not to mention the point someone already made...most of these bangers have gotten smart and stopped flashing their colors all over. They don't want to stand out so they aren't stopped or I'd for future endeavors. Its the younger ones that feel they need to prove something or are in some little start up splinter group.

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Statement from New York Yankees regarding condemning gang-related New Era apparel

The New York Yankees were completely unaware that caps with gang-related logos and colors had been manufactured with the New York Yankees logo on them. These caps were made under a licensing agreement between New Era and Major League Baseball and were not subject to the Yankees' approval nor shown to the New York Yankees at any point prior to their retail distribution.

The New York Yankees oppose any garment that may be associated with gangs or gang-related activity. Upon learning of the existence of these caps this morning, the New York Yankees contacted Major League Baseball. We were notified by the Commissioner's Office that steps had already been taken to recall the caps from all points of sale. The league ensured that no such product will be manufactured in the future.

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I would think that those not really in the gangs would wear these to look "tough." It's like the little a-holes in my area that spray paint gang graffitti and have no affiliation. I also have been annoyed for a long time to see any Yankees or other team's apparel that isn't in the team's colors. I have always hated seeing orange or pink or green Yankees stuff - but again, that's just me.

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I have always hated seeing orange or pink or green Yankees stuff

But not some of what we've seen wearing those colors...huh brother! LOL.

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i no gunna lie i have wunna those hats but they should take those off the steets

My advice to you...don't wear it in NYC, Yonkers, Mt. Vernon...etc! You just don't know who will mistake you for someone you are not and fill you with lead! If you think I am kidding, stop by School St and see what happens. These are not a joke and could easily get someone killed!

My brother in law is visiting from the Philippines and wanted one...I promptly told him what this was and what could happen to him while he is touring Manhattan and other locations on his visit. He is a little naive and even wants to go to BedStuy to hang out one day...Right!

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My advice to you...don't wear it in NYC, Yonkers, Mt. Vernon

Don't get fooled by thinking this is just an inner urban problem anymore. They do not want the same gangster image as often protrayed. They want to make their money in the drug distribution business without bringing undue attention. Where do you make the biggest profits? In the burbs with the middle/upper middle class and rich kids. Are they more populated in the Vern, Yonkers, Peekskill, New Ro...of course...but they are in the smaller towns as well.

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My advice to you...don't wear it in NYC, Yonkers, Mt. Vernon...etc!

You must have missed the etc...I know that gang problems exist all over...I see them everyday when I go through the Buchanan Circle...LMAO

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Statement from New York Yankees regarding condemning gang-related New Era apparel

The New York Yankees were completely unaware that caps with gang-related logos and colors had been manufactured with the New York Yankees logo on them. These caps were made under a licensing agreement between New Era and Major League Baseball and were not subject to the Yankees' approval nor shown to the New York Yankees at any point prior to their retail distribution.

The New York Yankees oppose any garment that may be associated with gangs or gang-related activity. Upon learning of the existence of these caps this morning, the New York Yankees contacted Major League Baseball. We were notified by the Commissioner's Office that steps had already been taken to recall the caps from all points of sale. The league ensured that no such product will be manufactured in the future.

Anyone think after this statement that the agreement between New Era and the Yankees might be done in the near future?

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Statement from New York Yankees regarding condemning gang-related New Era apparel

The New York Yankees were completely unaware that caps with gang-related logos and colors had been manufactured with the New York Yankees logo on them. These caps were made under a licensing agreement between New Era and Major League Baseball and were not subject to the Yankees' approval nor shown to the New York Yankees at any point prior to their retail distribution.

The New York Yankees oppose any garment that may be associated with gangs or gang-related activity. Upon learning of the existence of these caps this morning, the New York Yankees contacted Major League Baseball. We were notified by the Commissioner's Office that steps had already been taken to recall the caps from all points of sale. The league ensured that no such product will be manufactured in the future.

I call BS.... if you don't think that a business, and that's what these teams are is a business, doesn't look at the bottom line before approving anything that reflects on that business, you're dead wrong. They, and Major League baseball saw dollar signs and went forward. They really don't give a rat's backside until someone screams enough.

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I don't see any fault on the Yankees' part here. Walk in to any urbanwear or hat shop and you can find Yankees hats in literally hundreds of patterns and colors. It's easy that any NYY exec would easily rubber stamp this unknowingly.

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