They are the pride of America — Team U.S.A. — and for the opening ceremonies of the Summer Olympics in London, they’ll be proudly wearing red, white and blue, from beret to blazer. The classic American style — shown in an image above — was crafted by designer Ralph Lauren. But just how American is it?
When ABC News looked at the labels, it found “made in China.” Every item in the uniforms that the U.S. athletes will be wearing at the opening ceremony in London will carry an overseas label.
Nanette Lepore, one of the top U.S. fashion designers, said she was shocked that none of the uniforms had been made in the states. Further, Lepore said that it was “absolutely” possible that the athletes could have been outfitted in U.S.-made clothing. She said U.S. manufactures could have easily made the uniforms — and for less.
Why bother?
Really? Manufacturers could have made the uniforms for less here in the U.S.? Maybe if the manufacturers ate the costs and donated the uniforms.
They have had one of those on the news yesterday claiming that his company could have made them for half price and typical profit expected. So, double fail.
Problem is in leadership. Olympic Committee signed with designer and left all manufacturing choices to them. No one bothered even to think for a second or run offers for a best deal. Typical Governmental ripoff a’la 30000$ toilet seat.
Toilet seat issue. It’s not cheap for military contracts, though the lowest bidder gets the job. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toilet_seat#U.S._Navy.27s_.22.24600_Toilet_Seat.22
Ralph Lauren is a business man and slave master.
I thought the Olympics was a non-governmental enterprise? Kinda a mind lock to blame the government for everything don’t ya think? ((Take that as rhetorical!)
So–the Official Government Position should be that everything except Olympic Uniforms should be made in China?
Very patriotic!
The entire outfit costs about $1500.00. Even the beret is something like $85.00.
Its impossible to claim that it can’t be made domestically here and still not turn a profit considering the vast markup on these Ralph Lauren products.
Made for a lot less profit. The price tags on those is outrages. Maybe RL should have donated them since they carry a huge advertisement for him.
You are wrong. No way a big 35K max contributor to Obama and Harry Reid and the DNC would outsource jobs. Kindly post a correction please.
“Look for the union label
when you are buying that coat, dress or blouse.
Remember somewhere our union’s sewing,
our wages going to feed the kids, and run the house.
We work hard, but who’s complaining?
Thanks to the I.L.G. we’re paying our way!
So always look for the union label,
it says we’re able to make it in the U.S.A.!”
For those too young or too stupid to remember, the words above are the lyrics to a song by the International Ladies Garment Workers’ Union that promoted “Made in the USA”back in the 70’s.
“Always look for,
The Union Label
When you are buying
Your Dime Bag
or Pound…”
I worked a couple of summers for a small clothing manufacture around 74′ and 75′, I pulled rolls of material for the cutters. The last summer was shipping clerk.
It’s a real shame Americans aren’t producing what we consume in the market. New York was bustling with clothes manufactures, even buttons. That’s all gone now.
The make “Finance” now.
Like we need or want that.
You meant to say Wall St. finance I think. My recollection recalls finance was always in NY. Just not the type of financial gambling and stealing of today. You can blame Clinton for that.
And making money from money is a treacherous endeavor. The old days of investing honestly for the little guy is a bygone era. The large computer driven trades now make fortunes for the top one percent.
From the book of “knowledge”.
“The Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act (GLB), also known as the Financial Services Modernization Act of 1999, (Pub.L. 106-102, 113 Stat. 1338, enacted November 12, 1999) is an act of the 106th United States Congress (1999–2001). It repealed part of the Glass–Steagall Act of 1933, removing barriers in the market among banking companies, securities companies and insurance companies that prohibited any one institution from acting as any combination of an investment bank, a commercial bank, and an insurance company. With the passage of the Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act, commercial banks, investment banks, securities firms, and insurance companies were allowed to consolidate. The legislation was signed into law by President Bill Clinton.”
Shame you didn’t include a paragraph further down in the entry you mentioned.
“Respective versions of the legislation were introduced in the U.S. Senate by Phil Gramm (Republican of Texas) and in the U.S. House of Representatives by Jim Leach (R-Iowa). The third lawmaker associated with the bill was Rep. Thomas J. Bliley, Jr. (R-Virginia), Chairman of the House Commerce Committee from 1995 to 2001.”
Yes, the death of Unions will prove to be the Death of the Middle Class.
Everything being connected to everything else being the way of the Universe.
Ain’t that a bitch?
The death of patriotism in corporations is something that is to behold.
A long time ago allegiance to one’s home nation meant something.
Nowadays if we ever get into a war, some companies will be making materiel for the enemy because they got a better bid.
The I.L.G.U. ads were 1:00 long.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=7Lg4gGk53iY
The jobs associated within the garment industry were well paying and some required real skill, learned with on the job training. The clothing costs back then were not exorbitant being produced in the U.S of A.
Who do you blame?
The businessmen?
The Government?
Schmatta: Rags to Riches to Rags
http://vimeo.com/18546978
On July 4th I went to display the American flag and I found my flag to be worn out so I went to find a replacement.
I must have visited 6 different stores, but all the flags were made in China.
I finally found a flag made in the USA at a lumber store, of all places, and it was actually less expensive than the flags made in China, and it was better quality.
Maybe China should think about outsourcing its manufacturing to the United States.
Next time order a flag in advance from your Senator. You can have it flown over the capitol and the price is reasonable.
Same thing happened to me when I was looking for a belt a few years ago. Men’s Wearhouse – which I felt had a good selection of U.S.A. made clothes – had only Chinese-made dress belts. After I bought it, I went to a western clothing store. To my surprise, it had dress belts, Made in the U.S.A., and less expensive than the belt from Men’s Wearhouse. I bought the belt from the western store and returned the belt that I originally bought.
Thank god for our ninja warrior, terrorist droning, America loving, combat veteran, and fearless leader’s jobs program.
Jobs, jobs, jobs!!!
You sold me at ‘ninja warrior’.
Where do I sign up?
I wonder where the members of Congress clothes are made?
And how much it costs the taxpayer to send them Kongress kritterz to get measured for their togas?
The millionaires we hold our noses and pull the lever for don’t worry about things like cost or location. They send their people out to shop for them.
The 12,400 billionaires who are all known to the IRS (and you can find them all by using the web,) buy jeans and work shirts the same as you and me, but they get them made to measure. (And they don’t wear them until they’re falling apart.)
For the most part there are too few billionaires to even call them a demographic category. If only they didn’t insist that everything of value belong to them; they’re a vanishingly small number and the have problems on an entirely different time scale than the sort term thinkers like the 99%ers or even the 1%ers.
Its the millionaire overlords you have to wach out for…
They use their bankbooks as score cards and come up with cute phrases like: “Its not enough to for me to win, you have to know you lost.“
Obama only buys suits from a Chicago Tailor that has been producing menswear domestically since 1925.
The only thing Romney wears on his body that’s domestically made is his Magic Underwear, made proudly by secretive manufacturing sites in cultist Utah.
This is silly. Unless some company in the US is willing to donate clothing of the same quality as is worn by the athletes, then we are all better off for them getting it from another country. It means more money to spend on important things, like training athletes.
Since it is oh-so-important that the clothes be made in the USA, why no complaint about the number of athletes that are not only not made in the USA, but were raised in a completely different country?
Ok, I get that Congress is outraged. Those buffoons manufacture outrage in order to creates more rules for you to follow and to pay off political contributors. But anyone with an IQ above a baboon should at least question their feelings on this.
Are you all for kicking off any team member who wasn’t born or raised in the US?
“Are you all for kicking off any team member who wasn’t born or raised in the US?”
No, were all under a One World Government…so ditch the Olympics all together. We should all start flying the UN Flag…start today!
But really, I don’t give a shit about sports, most are fixed anyway.
“UN Flag…start today!” WINNER, ROTFL
You don’t get strategic economics do you? Don’t worry, neither did Jack Welsh.
I don’t think you understand how it works. the ONLY reason Ralph Lauren was allowed to make the olympic outfits is because RL donated a significant amount of money to the USOC in exchange for marketing rights.
They of course made up that money by outsourcing the uniforms to China, and had considerable markup on them in retail circles.
So essentially Ralph Lauren is making YOU the consumer pay for the Communist profits.
The uniforms look a little too military.
Is there some website that shows the history of the USA Olympic uniforms? It would be interesting. You web developers get on it! If not we can outsource this task to China.
http://seattlepi.com/sports/article/U-S-Olympic-uniforms-through-the-years-good-3699208.php#photo-3176807
Here is an age breakdown of the Olympic athletes.
http://statsinthewild.wordpress.com/2012/07/09/olympics-boxplot/
The US Government shouldnt be spending any money on the Olympics. I hope it never returns to America. I’m glad Obama campaigned for it in Chicago, as that appears to have been the impetus for their handing it to Rio, like how Clinton’s campaigning for a Nobel Prize gets them to award it to Gore, Carter, and Obama.
From the Voice of America:
“The United States is one of only three countries where Olympic athletes receive no government funding. Instead the U.S. Olympic Committee relies exclusively on income from the sale of television broadcast rights and from corporate sponsors.”
In other words, no US government money. Here is a link to United States Olympic Committee official sponsors.
http://teamusa.org/Sponsors.aspx
Holy crap! Did you see the prices for those things?
From the ABC News story:
Men:
Beret – $55
Tie – $125
Belt – $85
Shirt – $425
Blazer – $795
Trousers – $295
Shoes – $165
Women:
Beret – $55
Scarf – $58
Belt – $85
Shirt – $179
Skirt – $498
Blazer – $598
That’s almost 10 times what I’d be willing to pay for shirts, shoes, etc.
But then, I’m old — I remember being able to get root beer for a nickel down at the corner drugstore (of course it was pretty small) and nickel bags of popcorn at the movie theater for the Saturday matinee. Also nickel Hershey bars, Popsicles, Chuckles, Necco wafers, etc.
Ain’t inflation fun?
Inflation is what makes EVERYTHING work.
You don’t go to work, inflation eats your nest egg.
You don’t take loans to buy big stuff, inflation makes loans AFFORDABLE (if you’re smart enough to get a fixed interest rate) and makes renting expensive
There would be zero aggregate growth without inflation.
Everything the TV told you about inflation is a lie.
This video of economic growth exponential is a bit dry but worth a try.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=F-QA2rkpBSY
And by keeping the Fed rate at near 0% Little Timmy Geithner is making sure that saving money is not happening.
Now all the youngsters want dime bags. Sad.
That’s high as giraffe’s pussy!
Inflation is what makes rich people richer, it kills your buying power but at the same time is makes the massive debt you rang up not feel so bad.
This is why the wealthy want you the hold a LOT of debt.
With a stable currency or a deflationary system, holding debt would destroy you.
Either way, an inflationary or a deflationary environment is good for the wealthy. Inflation helps them because they can charge greater interest rates on loans they hand out, and deflationary helps them because their money buys more things.
The system is geared to rich people.
If I was an American athlete I would refuse to wear that junk!
Good for you. The original Olympic athletes competed naked. Lots of people look better with clothes on, but Olympic athletes are very special, very athletic.
Actually, anybody who takes care of their body looks good naked.
There are lots of books (and calendars) featuring naked athlete and dancer bodies looking all buff and astonishing attractive.
Its the lard-ass USDA fed and FDA inoculated imbeciles who look like they’re sausages leaping out of their too-tight wrappings.
Somebody needs to exhume Earl Butz, draw and quarter his corpse and burn his skeleton.
Knowing Americans, they’d probably barbecue the pathetic old fucker.
Why bother, indeed! It’s only one job. Right?!
and we all know that china wouldnt hurt is customers with something toxic?? never mind all the contaminated foodstuffs that came from then..
now here is a new possibility for them
http://guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/jul/08/lucy-siegle-childrens-clothes-toxicity
Go to any dollar store, you will find pasted in the window a long list of recalled items of chinese origin. Usually its poisonous jewelery contaminated with lead or cadmium but it can also be foodstuffs and/or HBOC products with dangerous chemicals in them.
Yay, capitalism!
who made all previous USA Olympic uniforms?
who made the flag pins politicians love to ware?
would there be outrage if it opposite of this story were “USA Olympic uniforms cost 3 times what they had to” bipartision outrage OMG!
move along next none story.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QURrD1214g0
oh no same story for 2008!
Who cares where they are made. They look terrible. The real controversy should be the gay looking hats.
These uniforms are just the tip of the iceberg. How about the U.S. Air Force buying a replacement tanker aircraft from European companies, or the POTUS flying in helicopters made in a foreign country. The helicopters were bought by the Bush admin, the contracts for the USAF tankers was thrown out by the GSA and is being looked at again.
If we can’t buy American for our own government, we are really in trouble. No wonder we have such a bad jobless rate.
As far as the USAF tanker program is concerned, a little history is in order. The Air force needed to replace the aging fleet of KC-135 tankers. Boeing came forward with an offer to lease to the US Air Force a tanker based on the Boeing 767.
This contract was frozen in 2003 and canceled in 2006. Senator John McCain led hearings into the high lifetime costs of leasing, and later buying these planes versus outright purchases. The final nail in the coffin came as the CFO of Boeing plead guilty to illegally hiring the Pentagon’s procurement official while she was negotiating the tanker lease deal. This person also went to prison and admitted she favored Boeing in several other procurement decisions out of gratitude for Boeing hiring her daughter and son-in-law.
The next time the Air Force attempted to get the tankers resulted in the Northrup Grumman/EADS Airbus A-330 variant winning the bidding (final assembly to be in Alabama). Boeing then rallied all their friends and lobbyists to get this award set aside. The Pentagon then punted the decision to the incoming Obama administration. The Request For Proposal was sent out, revised, sent again, argued over and finally resulted in a Boeing 787 variant and an EADS Airbus A-330 variant being submitted. Northrup Grumman probably saw the writing on the wall and did not partner with EADS on this submittable.
Many prognosticators thought the contract would be split, but in the end Boeing won by submitting a cut-throat fixed price bid. The plane is called the KC-46A and is based on the 767 jet.
Boeing’s bids always called for assembly in Washington state with the tanker modifications being done in Wichita, Kansas (7000 jobs to KS economy according to Boeing). This gave Boeing an even greater Congressional push to EADS: Washington, Illinois and Kansas versus Alabama. Boeing was awarded the contract in Feb of 2011. In January of 2012, they announced the Wichita, KS plant was being shuttered and the tanker modifications would take place in Washington state.
As I said earlier, Boeing won this bid by submitting a fixed price contract for the first batch of planes that was so low they might well lose money. I expect that future orders will not be in the same neighborhood.
Boeing will make up its losses through cost overruns, congress never kills a project if its a few billion overbudget.
I live in Canukistan, but as your next-door neighbor, I always try to find anything I buy as Made in Canada or Made in the USA first, even if I have to pay twice as much. I hate almost everything that is made in China (or similar factory countries) because it is cheap junk. And almost everyone bitches about this same fact.
I realize that you will never succeed in getting it into the average corporate CEO’s head or the head of the average consumer, that you do get what you pay for. Everyone is crying about high unemployment but won’t do the obvious solution.
I’m not sure what McCullough is trying to get at here. I’m up for becoming a nudist if that’s what he wants. I’m also up for living on my lawn. I could do without a bicycle or car too I guess. But being a nudist in the olympics, now that’s a great idea I’ll follow Mr. McCullough through…umm…with.
Oh crap, you know what. I just notice I’ve been playing around with a “Made in China” washer!!! GRRR…we need to bomb and take over China ASAP. Damn you washer and stinking piece of plastic everywhere!
America is slowly eliminating its production factories in favor of moving money around on Wall Street and the Chicago Mercantile.
We’ve outsourced production of goods, we’ve outsourced high technology labor, we’ve outsourced low skilled manual labor. We’ve outsourced farm production, we are outsourcing our service sector.
If we keep outsourcing, there won’t be anything left to outsource. Ever wonder why they don’t outsource executive jobs at corporations?
And the medals don’t come from Greece.
They’re not gold either. Only Spain actually gave gold, silver and bronze medals to athletes.
Hey how come? The tag shows 44 comments and only one showing.
hit the “older comments” link just below the last post
Hey how come?
Because this blog style sucks!
Apparently the administrators don’t comprehend what the vertical scrollbar is meant for, reading of continuous text.
They prefer breaking up continuous flow of blog text into pieces, snippets where the probability of normal people following the flow of blog text is by design reduced.
Get over it already nameless one.
Change is inevitable, if it wasn’t you’d be writing letters to your editor with a quill plucked from a goose’s ass on vellum.
The blog posting mechanism changed. Quit your moaning.
Personally I like the threaded style better.
It means that I can quickly skip bobbo’s and TEAD’s comments and everything related to anything they spout.
Absolutely, that what I am saying “Change is inevitable” and change would be an improvement and true progress!
But every click to read more text brings in more ad views! (i.e. revenue)
I was just reading the Ralph Lauren Wiki site and found the following:
The 2012 US Olympic team uniforms for opening ceremony of the London Olympics were designed by Ralph Lauren. The uniforms were manufactured in in China, setting off a Bipartisan backlash from the United States Congress protesting American manufacturing not being showcased in America’s greatest athletes.
On July 13, 2012, Six Democratic U.S. Senators announced they have co-sponsored legislation to require the 2012 U.S. Olympic team to wear American-made uniforms. The co-sponsors of the “Team USA Made In America Act of 2012” are: Senators Robert Menendez and Frank R. Lautenberg both of New Jersey, Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York.
And everyone of those Senators except Schumer had Ralph Lauren’s money in their campaign account, via the DNC. In May he donated 30,800 to DNC and 5000 to Obama.
Ralph Lauren’s jewish, he’s not going to donate to a bunch of republican jesus-on-the-brain protestants who spend 90% of their time telling the world jews are going to hell.
Where do I vote this up?
That’s great. Business can’t compete fairly so Daddy Government has to step in. How about working to make us more competitive instead. And while I’m at it, since when are berets all-American either?
Ok, I get it.
The unspoken public expectation is that:
1. U.S. Olympic team will be composed of American born citizens (with Tea Party certified birth certificate).
2. U.S. Olympic team will wear only American made under-wear, shoes, hat and outer-wear. The clothes must be made with American grown fibers and no silk.
3. U.S. Olympic team will only train only on American soil.
4. U.S. Olympic team will drive only American Cars (likely made with Chinese parts).
5. U.S. Olympic team will only sing American patriotic songs.
6. U.S. Olympic team will only have ever attended American schools and universities.
7. U.S. Olympic team will only eat American food, grown or raised on American soil.
8. U.S. Olympic team will only …
Substitute America with another country and that is what they exactly do… We have sold out are country to others because we are weak. With your thinking there wouldn’t be an American.
It should be mandated that when your turn 18 you must go and live in another country for a year. Then you will what how the other half lives and see first hand what true country pride is…
America is a slave to the rest of the world.
Even the commies have country pride!!!
That pride you’re talking about is vague. On one point it’s about being brainwashed by the government into thinking they have it all or are the best. On another point that pride does not extend to helping others in need, such as kids being used as child laborers into the wee hours. Then’s there the I don’t give a sht about you since I don’t know you type of pride.
It’s funny how pride works in “other countries” when compared to US. Do I even need to define this word to get my point across. And yes, I don’t disagree that one should lived in a country to experience what they have to offer but then again one doesn’t have to go to Africa to learn about Zebras. I’m pretty sure you haven’t “lived” in other countries or experience them enough to suggest that America sucks because we have no pride…in our clothing for that matter. I would not want to live in China or any of the Asian countries there. I would not want to like in Japan, for God sake hell no. I would not want to live in Russian, Germany, etc. If you seriously think those countries or other countries are worth your while go right ahead and move away. Good luck when sht happens lol
It’s always très chic, très hip to knock the U.S.A. isn’t it?
It takes some “très chic, très” thinking on your part for the Olympic games to become a stand-in and fit for America.
I’ve always though America is larger and much much more important then some Olympic games.
It’s hard for me to squeeze my mind into your box, “So goes the Olympics, so goes America”.
If I told you once, noname, I told you a THOUSAND times, never use hyperbole!
Rick, My bad. I hear and obey.
Not sure you got my joke.
How are you going to find American workers for anything when Obama is rolling back Clinton’s welfare reform?
Reporters found dozens of american factories willing to stitch together the uniforms. Your comment means nothing.
this kind of ultra nationalistic rhetoric against everything and everyone compounded with an economic downturn started a movement where a certain Adolf had great ideas on how to turn everything around.
America, do us a favor and stop being crazy. The rest of the world bought American made crap since God knows when…
It is a nation of whiners.
If you are from Sweden you should know all about Adolf.
Sweden was neutral during the war, but Adolf did do a number on the Norwegians!
Penny wise, pound foolish.
I see typical Teapublican whining about the results of Corporate policies such as offshoring – penny wise. On the other hand, they suck their corporate masters dick when offshore policies are enacted for the sake of maximum profits and a higher stock price- pound foolish.
Shame. Now is the wrong time to wrap your sorry ass with the American flag.
When is Obama going to insist that his campaign contributor Ralph Lauren stop outsourcing?
your response is pure subterfuge.
Wow, Sam and pedro, you two always seem to respond together. It’s like two disturbed brains in one pea pod.
It must be some kind of very special and close relationship you have going together.
When the US Olympic committee takes government money instead of only private money?
I’m sorry radical right, but the USOC did what capitalism always does, seeks its own benefit at the expense of the common good.
Screw the american worker, let’s improve profits by making 10 year old chinese immigrants stitch jackets.
If the government pays for all the expenses of the national team (as many countries do), they will be yelling: “waste of tax money money!”, “socialized sport!”, but if the government is not involved, the USA team wears clothes made in a communistic country …
The US Army made an attempt awhile back to distribute chinese made berets to the troops. Congress got wind of it, and procurement had to pull all the berets and find an American-sourced replacement.
I’ve just seen a larger picture of these uniforms. Did anyone notice the large “Polo” logo on the chest of the blazer? So not only are they made in China, but Ralph Lauren is using our team for his own advertising.
I’d like to see uniforms from past Olympics to see if something like that emblem was on previous uniforms.
I couldn’t understand why others didn’t notice that.
I’m glad that I wasn’t the only one.
I’d love to see the swim and wrestling teams wear uniforms from the original Olympic games. Sigh
United States of Polo. Yes you can actually see a TINY american flag on the uniform if you squint.
Ignore the french flag stripes on the beret.
If it was made in China it would be ‘Relph Loren ‘
Har
I read that the person responsible for this outsourcing was an Obama donor.
Meh, another simpleton. Bhaaaaa
The USOC is a privately funded corporation, and as corporations always do, capitalism seeks the cheapest labor, even if its a bunch of Communists.
Be proud, keep woshipping that golden calf. Don’t worry the earth won’t open up and swallow, there’s no god.
sounds like ralph is gonna loose some sales.. about damn time
When you’re charging $850 for a friggin blazer and still export the job to china to save a few bucks, its hard to justify not keeping the job here.
True dat.
2nd dat.