Supermodel Bella Hadid’s latest street style moment sought to make the adidas SL72 sneaker summer-games supreme. Originally crafted for road runners, the SL72 was released in conjunction with the 1972 Olympic games back in the day, long before many AOC readers were born.

The retro-inspired running classic comes in two iterations, the SL72 RS and SL72 OG, delivering five new colorways.

On Thursday this week, the adidas ambassador was in the Big Apple to celebrate her new adidas Originals billboard in Times Square. Vogue stressed the importance of the younger Hadid’s adidas campaign with the headline: “Gone are the Samba — Bella Hadid Wears adidas That Are Soon To Be Everywhere.”

The campaign shoot, lensed by Kenny Germé, sees Bella clutching a bouquet of flowers that coordinates with her shoes. There’s an abundance of red carnations in her bouquet — a flower typically associated with revolutionary movements across the world.

For example, in April Anne learned much about the 50th anniversary of Portugal’s Carnation Revolution, responding to a fashion story in Vogue Portugal.

Bella’s addidas images are accompanied by a short film by Thomas Lachambre that tracks the rise of the SL72.

Her endorsement of the kicks was planned to ignite a fire under the SL72, but not exactly in the way cosmic forces played out. Then again, perhaps everything went according to plan.

Adidas Truly Does Not ‘Get It’ — or [More Probably] They Are Super Smart Marketers

On Thursday, July 18, the American Jewish Committee spoke out against the campaign and called for Adidas to "address this egregious error."

"At the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, 12 Israelis were murdered and taken hostage by Palestinian terrorist group Black September," the Committee wrote on X. "For Adidas to pick a vocal anti-Israel model to recall this dark Olympics is either a massive oversight or intentionally inflammatory. Neither is acceptable." Note, that 11 Israelis were murdered, and one German policeman. Five terrorists also died before the violent attack was over.

Israel’s embassy in Germany and pro-Jewish groups such as StopAntisemitism also questioned the choice of Bella Hadid to promote a shoe tied so closely to the worst possible terrorist event at the Olympic games.

Adidas responded to the criticism saying: “We are conscious that connections have been made to tragic historical events — though these are completely unintentional — and we apologize for any upset or distress caused.”

Reported on USA TODAY Sports on July 18, adidas continued, “As a result, we are revising the remainder of the campaign. We believe in sport as a unifying force around the world and will continue our efforts to champion diversity and equality in everything we do.”

In the last 24 hours, adidas has pulled all marketing that features Hadid, including the campaign film, which was on YouTube Friday.

Images showing other Adidas brand ambassadors including French footballer Jules Koundé, US rapper A$AP Nast and Chinese model Sabrina Lan are not impacted by the Hadid protest.

The universe works in strange ways; and AOC isn’t convinced that young people and uber-progressives of every age around the world won’t be buying the SL72, to honor the 1972 Munich Olympics and the Palestinian people.

Many young people around the world support both the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on the Israeli people — and also the 1972 terrorist attack in Munich. Adidas and Bella [should] know these facts, just as well — or better — than AOC.

The Free Press Journal India YouTube channel breaks down the controversy in a story travelling worldwide.

How To Make the SN 72 A Summer 2024 BFD

Would it be a truly sick play on the part of adidas and their marketing decision to put Bella in the new campaign’s lead position — knowing that it would blow up?

As noted, Bella is not alone in an adidas Originals campaign that features other SL72-loving ‘originals’. She is just the most famous as a true heroine in the minds of Palestine’s millions of supporters. AOC understands and respects their passionate love for Bella Hadid, who many call their Queen.

Is Bella uninformed about the events of the 1972 Munich Olympics? Hadid is a scholar of many subjects, especially Palestinian history; and AOC doubts that she is unaware of the history of the summer 1972 games, which were under great historical scrutiny two years ago, focused on the 50 years anniversary of the terrorist attack.

While Bella might feel strongly that Jewish groups are once again trying to smear her over her right to proudly support her Palestinian heritage, AOC regards this new adidas PR problem as much more complex than the protests of Israeli jewelers over her role as a Swarovski ambassador.

Once Swarovski agreed to create non-Bella marketing for Israel, that dust settled.

Heading for Paris

This adidas global marketing event is much more complex, especially given the timing. We are heading into the Paris games shortly, and AOC is certainly worried about a terrorist attack in support of Palestinians in Paris during the games.

The Palestinian Authority is sending eight athletes to the games in Paris, marking the eight time since 1996 that they have participated in the Olympic games. AOC gifts the article from Harretz.

The world of conspiracy theories inevitably takes its toll on the most rational brains. AOC has never, ever fallen into the conspiracy-theory trap — until today.

It was in 2022 that adidas — and AOC — went through the entire Kanye West - adidas antisemitism drama. And the adidas business has rebounded well.

Left: Consulate General of Israel New York; Middle Adidas Sneaker at Center of Bella Hadid Storm; Right VOA [Voice of America] Blog Post

Is adidas Outrageously Asleep at the Wheel?

AOC does not comprehend how a company as sophisticated as adidas could fall into this well again, just two years after the Kanye fiasco died down. Granted, the company’s history is defined by its support for the Nazis during WWII and the formation of PUMA in defiance of that family support by a founding-family brother.

It makes far more sense to AOC that in a world of young people globally protesting in support of Palestine, and the SN72 debut at the Munich Olympics, that adidas — with or without Bella’s knowledge and cooperation — decided to turn up the global heat with this campaign.

Adidas has bet that young people will rally around the shoe as a symbol of pro-Palestinian resistance, once Bella has been attacked by the Israeli press and numerous anti-semitism groups in America and Germany.

I’m sorry, but this time we need a clever, more bluntly sinister motive to explain how this adidas-Bella Hadid saga is rolling out. The innocent mistake option is screaming “no way” in my head.

Adidas knew exactly what was going down with Kanye and they looked the other way for big $$$$.

I think we are right back there again.

In that spirit, AOC is always sharing a history lesson, and these are the events surrounding the XX Olympiad. This video by Germany’s media DW details the events of the Palestinian terrorists attack. It also makes particular emphasis on the role played by the global media, who filmed the attack live — the good, the bad, the ugly and the absolutely incompetent. Peace out. ~ Anne

The Attack by Palestinian Terrorists Against the Israeli Team at the 1972 Games of the XX Olympiad

The 1972 Munich Olympics, scheduled from August 26 to September 11, were intended to showcase a new, peaceful image of Germany.

The games marked the second time Germany hosted the Olympics; the first being in Berlin in 1936 under the shadow of Nazi propaganda. The organizers aimed to contrast this dark chapter with an event characterized by openness and optimism.

Munich itself was transformed into an arena where modern architecture and state-of-the-art facilities symbolized progress and renewal. The Olympic Village was a marvel of contemporary design, emphasizing transparency with its glass structures and open spaces. Athletes from 121 nations were scheduled to participate in the games, intended to cultivate an atmosphere of international camaraderie and sportsmanship.

On September 5, the 1975 Munich Olympics were thrown into a state of agonizing chaos. The DW video picks up the historical story and how the global media became part of the story in both planned and unplanned ways.