Oxford United withdraws clothing line over 9/11 reference

Oxford United has apologized and withdrawn a new clothing line after the slogan "United 93" on the merchandise was found to reference the hijacked aircraft from the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The English League One club launched its Campus Collection on Friday, September 18, but removed it from sale within approximately two hours after realizing the slogan's historical association. The collection, inspired by American sports culture, included an NFL-style shirt and a baseball jersey featuring the phrase "United 93." The club stated the slogan was intended to mark its founding year of 1893. However, "United 93" was the call sign of United Airlines Flight 93, one of four passenger jets hijacked by al-Qaeda terrorists on September 11, 2001. The plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania after passengers and crew fought back, killing all 44 people on board. The attacks in total killed nearly 3,000 people. In a statement, Oxford United said the range "was released without understanding of the historical context and associations.