The Controversy Of Under Armour

In the 2014 Winter Olympics, held in Sochi, Russia, the U.S. speed skating team’s uniform did not meet their expectations. The Mach 39 revolutionary skinsuit, made by sports apparel company ‘Under Armour,’ was broadcasted as the “fastest speed skating suit in the world.” Once the United States’ speed skaters performed poorer than what was expected, the athletes began to have doubts. The Mach 39 had never been worn in competition before the Sochi games, so many wondered if it was to blame. Under Armour claims they wanted to keep the suit a secret incase if other people found out about the technology. After the speed skater’s less-than performance, Under Armour began receiving bad publicity. Top newspapers such as the Wall Street Journal featured the headline, “Are New Suits Slowing the U.S?” This began a debate whether or not the company played a role in the team’s poor results. Later that week, the athletes voted to desert their high-tech suits, …show more content…
Fortunately for the company, none of the U.S. athletes blamed the suit outright. Under Armour’s CEO Kevin Plank immediately talked to Bloomberg TV that Friday and he did not dismiss the issue. Plank stressed he did not blame the athletes for the dispute, but did recognize the suit was receiving a lot of hype and the issue was getting out of control. He stated, “It is all very fair and everybody is just sort of trying to find out what we can do to help our athletes win.” There was no hostile back and forth with United States’ speed skating. Executive director Ted Morris and President Mike Plant, showed support of the company and stated deep down, they knew it was not the suits. Under Armour still stayed engaged with U.S. speed skating and it was very clear they were focused on correcting the situation and helping the athletes win. Under Armour announced plans to renew its team sponsorship for the 2018 Olympic Games in South Korea and double its length through