I have to wonder about the clueless people on the United States Olympic Committee (USOC). They seem to be incapable of learning from experience.Just before the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, it was learned that the uniforms the United States team would be wearing in the opening ceremonies were actually made in China. This caused a firestorm of protest. Americans were shocked that their team would be wearing Chinese-made uniforms -- and they made that displeasure known to the USOC.
The USOC apologized for their blunder, and even though it was too late at that time to order new uniforms, they assured the public that it would not happen again. They said that U.S. uniforms in the future would be made by an American company.
We are now coming up on the 2014 Winter Olympics (which will start on February 6th), and the uniforms to be worn by American athletes, again designed by Ralph Lauren, were made in the United States. But it seems that the USOC still has not learned its lesson -- that any item connected to the United States Olympic effort should be made in the United States.
The USOC decided to raise some money for the Olympic team by selling mittens (see above picture). The mittens, sold for $14 dollars on the USOC website, and so far, they have raised more than a half-million dollars selling them. So what's the problem? They were made in China. That's right. You cannot support the Olympic team by buying these mittens without also supporting some Chinese sweatshop! And especially in this economy, with so many Americans out of work, that just seems wrong.
The USOC members should have learned their lesson after the 2012 debacle, but they obviously didn't. Maybe it's time for some (or all) members of that committee to be replaced.
