@ArifHasanNFL Make sure if anyone wants to show support to Bridewater they head to Target pic.twitter.com/nlQV2GsRpy
— Tyler Brigger (@TylerBrigger) August 3, 2014
Target is catching a lot of flak on social media and around the sports world for its latest merchandising blunder – selling Teddy “Bridewater” jersey-style shirts at local stores.
Bridgewater was drafted by the Vikings in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft earlier this year – and is considered as the potential future of the Vikings at the quarterback position.
The Minneapolis-based company, which is located about a mile from the new Vikings stadium, forgot the “G” in Bridgewater on the back of the shirts, which were apparently being sold at about 70 Target stores over the weekend.
SuperTarget in Edina pulled the shirts, which were listed in the store as official NFL Team Apparel, from the floor on Tuesday, and other metro-area Targets have been told to do the same, KSTP reports.
Phil Tippin, of Minneapolis, talked with the Star Tribune about the typo, remarking at how many sets of eyes must have gone over the shirts before they were sent out to stores, jokingly saying “it’s just how we welcome [new players]. Maybe we can say it’s rookie hazing.”
Joshua Thomas, a Target spokesman, told the newspaper the “unfortunate” error was noticed “right away” and “even the most meticulous editor unfortunately sees an error slip through to the printer from time to time.”
Stores are expected to get new shirts with the correct spelling in the coming weeks, reports say. It’s not known what will be done with the misspelled shirts.
https://twitter.com/Cathanasselis/status/496126991431507968https://twitter.com/ParkerHageman/status/496724048391335936
This blunder got the attention of various sports blogs this week. Sports Illustrated said of the error, “you’d think a company whose headquarters are a mile away from the site of the Viking’s future stadium would make sure to spell the franchise quarterback’s name right.”
SI noted Target wasn’t the only company to make a mistake like this this season. Last week, the Colorado Rockies gave away jerseys with Troy Tulowitzki’s name misspelled.
The Card Chronicle noted Bridgewater’s name has been misspelled and mispronounced for years. He was frequently called “Terry” Bridgewater during his time at the University of Louisville by both fans and local and national media outlets, the Card Chronicle says.
A quick search on Twitter pulled up various “Bridewater” blunders from over the years.
https://twitter.com/LouisvilleDaily/status/85918193452974080
Louisville QB Teddy Bridewater went from 218 passing yards in the first half to only 61 in the second half.
— R.L. Bynum (@rl-bynum.bsky.social on Bluesky) (@RL_Bynum) September 15, 2012
Target blunders
This isn’t the first time one of Target’s errors has made national news. Last spring, Target apologized after a shopper noticed a plus-size version of a Mossimo dress was described as “Manatee Gray,” while the exact same dress in smaller sizes was described as “Dark Heather Gray.”
And earlier this year, Target took a lot of heat for photoshopping an online ad for junior swimwear – the photo of the model had been altered to create an unnatural-looking “thigh gap” and very thin arms. Target apologized and removed the image from its website.
