Yesterday the controversial clothing company Hoelzer Reich was added to the Zuffa banned sponsors list. Strikeforce quickly followed and will now not allow the clothing to be worn in their organization.
MMA Fanhouse was the first to report the news:
Strikeforce and Zuffa LLC won’t see eye-to-eye on many things, but when it comes to banning the controversial California-based Hoelzer Reich apparel company, both organizations have agreed that there is no place in their respective promotions for them.
So a day after Zuffa, the parent company of the UFC and WEC, told Maggie Hendricks of Yahoo!’s CageWriter.com that they have banned their fighters from wearing Hoelzer Reich apparel during the fights, Strikeforce director of communications Mike Afromowitz informed FanHouse on Wednesday that the San Jose-based organization laid down the same law.
“We will not permit our fighters to wear this type of apparel in our cage,” Afromowitz said. “Strikeforce will not tolerate any offensive behavior at any location or at any time by its fighters.”
The public outcry was first started on the popular MMA Underground forum when posters started associating the German military imagery that the brand used as Nazi symbolism.
Hoelzer Reich owner Jamie Vine told CagePages.com yesterday:
“The imagery and symbols used in our clothing line were chosen and referenced from several German and Prussian Military themes, based on our interest of WW1 and WW2 Germany. The Iron Cross, the Prussian Helmet, the German Military collar, and the Peaked Cap are some of the images we referenced. We [of course] removed any swastika’s and ‘SS’ bolts, for the meaning of the German / Prussian soldier to us represents strength & honor, the theme of our line.
We never expected such a negative response. We knew that basing a clothing line on German imagery would most definitely get a reaction, but with our family heritage, using Jed’s Great Great Grandfathers name (Hoelzer), and the long history behind the imagery referenced, we did not think the accusations and comments being made would get this out of hand.”
With these two major organizations placing a ban on Hoelzer Reich, now the story can be put to rest.
FanSided
The Cruelest Sport
