Olympic medalists Gary Hall Sr. and Gary Hall Jr. appeared on Fox News this week, criticizing the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee’s proposal to “rebrand” the American flag design utilized by the organization.
Appearing on the program “Hannity”, both Hall Sr. and Hall Jr. acknowledged the organization’s proposal to alter the design of the American flag used in branding opportunities such as the USOPC’s logo. Hall Jr. also critiqued the organization’s use of funds to create the new design, arguing that the money should instead be put towards athletes.
“What irritates me out of this whole thing is that there is some marketing or branding firm out there that has already been paid a lot of money for these drafts even and these resources,” said Hall Jr. “Couldn’t they be better applied by supporting our athletes or giving it to an anti-doping agency to catch cheaters?”
Because it is not possible to copyright the American flag, companies often style it for their own use and copyright that design. Many corporations currently utilize this method, such as Bank of America, which utilizes a stylized version of the American flag as its logo.
The USOPC’s current logo design, the USOPC eligible for copyright, as the current logo does not feature a traditional American flag – it features a 13-starred version of the flag.
The Current USOPC Logo. Via USOPC
The ability to copyright a stylized American flag logo actually opens up additional financial avenues for the USOPC, and improving the branding and brand recognizability of that logo could, in theory, bring in more money to the organization.
Hall Sr. also pointed out the traditions associated with the original American flag design.
“The greatest honor of my life was in Montreal in 1976 when I was selected to carry the American flag for the U.S. Olympic team leading into Montreal Stadium,” Hall Sr. said. “And the American flag is iconic. It doesn’t just represent the greatest country in the world. It represents and symbolizes millions of Americans who have worked hard, who have sacrificed, some of them, with their own lives.”
A proposed design was featured on the show, which depicts a modernized American flag with five stars next to the USOPC logos.
Proposed USOPC Logo Redesign. Via Fox News
Hall, Jr. is famous both for his swimming results and his pre-race antics at major meets, which includes having worn a robe onto deck stylized as a version of the American flag. Hall, Jr. represented the U.S. at the 1996, 2000, and 2004 Olympics, winning 5 gold and 5 silver medals as a sprint freestyler. His father, Hall Sr., swam at the 1968, 1972, and 1976 Olympics, winning 2 silver and 1 bronze medal in butterfly and IM events. Both swimmers set World Records, as individuals (senior) and relays (junior and senior) in their careers.
In response to the interview, USOPC spokesperson Kate Hartman said that the image shown on the program was one of many currently being developed by the USOPC for brainstorming purposes.
“We want to be clear that we love our country and respect the American flag,” Hartman said. “We do not have any intention, not to mention the authority, to change our country’s flag that flies above the podium when a member of Team USA achieves Olympic or Paralympic greatness.”
Unlike most countries around the world, the USOPC is not taxpayer or lottery funded. Instead, the organization is a federally chartered nonprofit corporation that does not receive any direct federal support.
Gary Hall Sr.’s Race Club is a SwimSwam Partner.
Some hot shot marketing goon got paid more money by the USOPC than any athlete competing in Tokyo. For a draft design being considered. That sucks.
Bank of America uses a stylized flag because unlike the USOPC, they do not have the right to use the flag in their logo. Is there any other organization that has the right to use the flag? Not that I know of. It’s an honor, dismissed.
Athletes make so many sacrifices to represent the Stars and Stripes. We’re told that we shouldn’t expect professional opportunities or payment because the honor of representing our country is enough. But we’re going to make the athletes wear an ugly rendering so the USOPC can sell… Read more »
This just gets worse and worse.
1) Yes, Bank of America does have the right to use the flag in their logo. Any company can use the US flag in its logo. It just makes trademarking that logo really difficult. There’s no law precluding a company from using the US flag in its logo.
2) You just in the same breath complained about the USOPC trying to make more money and the USOPC not paying athletes more money because they don’t have enough resources.
What????
Ok but don’t do it on Hannity, he’s at best a propagandist. It’s like trying to make a serious point on a cartoon show.
I don’t comment on political stuff, but the USA Stars and Stripes flag is the best flag on earth. Never change it!
Weird hill to die on but ok
If you read the mission statement and the core values of the United State Olympic and Paralympic Committee, you will find NO WORD, NOT ONE WORD, relating to PATRIOTISM, ALLEGIANCE, RESPECT FOR THE AMERICAN FLAG OR THE NATIONAL ANTHEM.( Research, Reflect, Respond.)
I don’t think the issue is that a stylized version is bad, it’s just that the proposed design is terrible. If you have something that closely resembles the American flag as the current logo does, I think you should have a damn good replacement if you’re gonna change it. Anyone can turn a historical symbol into a hip, ‘modern’ redesign, but it doesn’t mean you should.
Gary should just grab the new design and smash it like a guitar
“It doesn’t just represent the greatest country in the world.”
A country that spends more than 700 billion dollars each year for its military budget and keeps policing the world with terrible regime change policies through terrible military adventures, killing economic sanctions and CIA coups while dozens of thousands of its people die every year because they can’t afford healthcare, while many people fall into massive debt to afford life saving drugs or common surgeries, while millions of young people fall into massive debt to pay their university tuition fees, while infrastructures are in many places third world country-like infraststructures, while millions of people have no clean water, while there are no childcare policies, while there are very few… Read more »
@BoboGigi Do you have a diverse/heterogenous country of significant size with a republican (small ‘r’) form of government that you would offer up as a model to aspire to? It’s easy point to countries of small size and predominantly one ethnic or religious group as being relatively harmonious, but size and diversity compound the challenges, so let’s be realistic.
You’re welcome!
Debbie Downer
Which country is better? As far as I’m concerned, we don’t kill people for being gay, don’t force women to wear clothing covering everything but their eyes, don’t stone people and dismember them publicly for breaking the law, don’t have a dictator, etc. I feel like although we have our own issues, we are much better off than a majority of other countries