Seriously?

Look, it's hard being an American soccer fan. Many Americans make fun of you for liking an "unamerican sport" (which I believe is defined as something the US is not dominant in), and many non-Americans make fun of you because, well, it's fun for people outside of the US to make fun of the US.

I get all that, and take it all in stride. Yes, Mr. Glendenning, even you and your USA! USA! USA! soccerball nonsense. But the Captains of Swoosh, Nike, don't make things any easier with their marketing. The Dude? Seriously? Some vaguely neanderthal-looking guy with a beauty pageant sash and giant teeth? Yes, I get it's an attempt to make clever use of part of the team badge. It's not clever, trust me. If you apply Paul Lukas' UniWatch "stupid or not" test, it fails miserably.

The whole "Don't Tread On Me" stuff was a brilliant idea until it got co-opted by the nutjobs in the Tea Parties waving around their yellow flags. So I get they need something new.

But The Dude? Seriously, Nike. You're not helping us. Knock it off. FAIL.