Harambe lives.
One day after the NFL and MLB apparently banned the sale of custom-made jerseys with “HARAMBE” nameplates, league shops have continued allowing shoppers buy products with the slain gorilla’s name.
Darren Rovell of ESPN reports that the temporary ban stems to a complaint from an unidentified Major League Baseball team that was concerned that fans were ordering jerseys bearing Harambe’s name, following his death at the Cincinnati Zoo earlier this year. A Fanatics employee then "proactively" added his name to a list of words that is instantly rejected when custom-ordering jerseys, a list that includes other curse words and explicit phrases.
Looks like the MLB shop has also stopped allowing customized "HARAMBE" jerseys. @UniWatch @PhilHecken pic.twitter.com/GSmnnigLXq
— Alex Hider (@alexhider) September 14, 2016
The name was then added to the list of banned terms for other leagues, including the NFL.
On Thursday morning, Fanatics decided that Harambe didn’t belong on the list, and removed it — but not before some sports teams honored the fallen gorilla.
@darrenrovell Sad but true ? #RIPHarambe pic.twitter.com/nE4okY5ULC
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) September 14, 2016
RIP Harambe https://t.co/HGdJmgMtQp
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) September 13, 2016
Alex Hider is a writer for the E.W. Scripps National Desk. Follow him on Twitter @alexhider.
