J.C. Penney Pulls T-Shirts Deemed Offensive

J.C. Penney said it is discontinuing sales of a line of basketball-themed T-shirts aimed at young men after it received complaints from a feminist group. The Trash Talk line of apparel, manufactured by AND1 Basketball and featuring such slogans as: “Your game is as ugly as your girl,” is offensive to women, said Martha Burk, president of the Center for Advancement of Public Policy in Washington. Burk said several people contacted her group to complain about the shirts. Penney spokeswoman Stephanie Brown said the Plano, Texas-based retailer received enough complaints to persuade it to stop selling shirts that specifically target women. Other AND1 apparel will still be available. Burk said she will contact other retailers that still carry the shirts. Executives of Pennsylvania-based AND1 were not available for comment.