Nike apologizes for shoe-naming gaffe

Los Angeles (US), Mar.14 (ANI): Sports manufacturer Nike has reportedly apologized for a shoe-naming gaffe.

Nike had named one of its sneaker brands Black and Tan. That's the name for a popular beer mash-up.

There is just one problem, however. Black and Tan is also a term reviled in Ireland, a sneering reference to the British forces accused of mistreating Irish citizens in the 1920s.

Nike said in a statement to Fox News that it was sorry and that there was "no offense was intended."

The Los Angeles Times quoted Nike, as saying further that the sneaker had been "unofficially named," even though several online retailers and sneaker websites, such as Kicks on Fire, wrote about the shoe using the name Nike SB Dunk Low "Black and Tan" label.

Nike acknowledged that the name "can be viewed as inappropriate and insensitive."

The Black and Tans, so nicknamed because of their uniforms, were part of a British escalation of violence and brutality against the Irish in the 1920s.

The forces are "remembered for brutality" and "a systematic reprisal policy," according to Irish history.

Not all Irish are opposed to a shoe called "Black and Tan," however. (ANI)