[nitehawk]

What would you do if you were a American athlete - would you protest in some way or just go with the flow

[waynet]

our country is so messed up. Incedible that someone in charge would give the business to China. I would find that person and give him/her a one-way ticket to the sweatshop in China. As an athlete I would not wear the uniform.Stand up for whats right,maybe even a black power salute?

[cquick]

I'd like to know who manufactured them for the last Olympics games......and if it was a USA company, why didn't they stay with the same company?

[Figmo Bohica]

Got them cheaper from China.

[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by nitehawk

What would you do if you were a American athlete - would you protest in some way or just go with the flow

My husband thinks they should just wear American made "jeans" and a "white polo shirt". Definitely NOT something made in China.

Those uniforms were not so great looking to begin with.
Definitely NOT to a beret/baret hat which is French.

He was totally all for "Made in America" before he retired..........
He proudly stated so on his website.....

I like Ralph Lauren, who is a self made man in America and has a gorgeous home in Colorado..........beautiful family....however, you would think he would farm out the work to folks in the U.S.A.

Years ago, our mill towns and our cities all had seamstresses and tailors working right here in the U.S.A.......garment manufacturing companies, etc. My dad's sisters were all garment workers in N.Y.C. and my cousins were tailors who could make hand made suits, etc.
All of our clothes now are made "someplace else".....very sad.

Actually, the quality of foreign made clothing has slowly gone "downhill", even from the best "high end" stores and online stores.

It's all about their profit line.......not about putting Americans to work.

[BritParrothead]

Most of the memorabilia wa also made in China!!
Going to watch th Olympic torch come to our town in a couple of hours!! BIG party planned on the beach

[k2at]

My wife and I only buy made in America articles when they are available. I would not wear the Olympic uniforms and would in fact replace them with American made.

[dfn8tly]

Wear them with pride! The next time you look at your new shirt/blouse you'll probably see it's made in Vietnam, Laos or Bankok. America cares only about cost.

[mfp509]

They should be American made. I'm tired of only seeing "Made in the USA" on about 1% the items in the stores (that's my own estimate to make a point). I remember so well the mills all running and people working. I was brought up in a mill town. I want to see and buy more products made here!

[Penguin]

Originally Posted by Figmo Bohica

Got them cheaper from China.

Its all about the money,Still a shame

[justjim]

Originally Posted by cquick

I'd like to know who manufactured them for the last Olympics games......and if it was a USA company, why didn't they stay with the same company?

Good question......I don't know the answer but can only guess that the last Olympic game uniforms were NOT made in USA either. I say the Olympic Committee did not require the uniforms to be made in USA in their bid process. However, before we throw any stones-----take a look at our own closets.

[gmcneill]

To answer nitehawk's specific question, I'd wear the uniform with pride!

Addressing the larger issue is not simple. The US Olympic organization does not receive federal government funding; it depends on donations, sponsorships, and partnerships to survive.

Ralph Lauren is one such sponsor. RL has it's business reasons for making the manufacturing decisions that it has. And as the posters above stated, it all comes down to cost. And for companies, lower costs generally result in a better bottom line.

That said, however, given the enormous exposure of and historically high demand for Olympic apparel and other products (read, high profits from sales to the US consumer), one would hope that RL and other US Olympic Team sponsors/partners would expend the extra effort to utilize US based workers over foreign workers to make Olympic-based products, even if doing so cuts into the profit margin. The companies would still make money.

I'm thinking that any such company could increase the price tag on it's Olympic products by the "extra pennies" to offset manufacturing costs w/out push back from the US consumer.

[looneycat]

personally I don't care where they are made. How many 'made in america' goods are made with american made fabric? very few! I do think that the uniforms are grotesque and not representative of american life styles and fashion. Berets? come on! the hat that currently has world wide recognition as THE American hat is a baseball cap. Good ole RL has dressed our team like a bunch of gay french people,

[kfierle]

Hickey Freeman, of Rochester, NY, has offered to make the uniforms: Made in USA

[looneycat]

Originally Posted by kfierle

Hickey Freeman, of Rochester, NY, has offered to make the uniforms: Made in USA

since the uniforms are a done deal why don't they just donate the money to the olympic committee?